THE game was as tame as its scoreline, but it ended in added-time ugliness when assistant referee Phil Sharp was hit on the forehead by a coin thrown from the Aston Villa fans behind the Portsmouth dugout.

Presumably, the Villa supporter’s aim was as wayward as his team’s and the 50p piece was aimed at visiting manager Harry Redknapp; he had been abused all afternoon, in the wake of referring to Villa fans as “filth” after last season’s encounter. Sharp was badly gashed, but did not require stitches.

“The guy has to be nicked,” Redknapp said. “And hopefully he’ll be banned for life. I was lucky it hit the linesman and not me. What have I done to deserve something thrown by a coward and a moron? Clubs have to do more to stop this kind of thing, but they’re scared of the fans. When Sol Campbell was abused the other week, I didn’t see any reaction from Tottenham. Hopefully, Villa will condemn it in the strongest terms.”

The FA called for a full inquiry. Villa “unreservedly condemned” the incident, offered CCTV footage to the police and promised a life ban.

Villa’s limp loss at Stamford Bridge two Saturdays ago concentrated manager Martin O’Neill’s mind. After fielding an unchanged starting XI for the entire Premier League season, he dropped full-backs and benchmark summer signings Luke Young and Nicky Shorey.

Wary of Portsmouth’s physical presence, he flooded midfield and swapped 4-4-2 for 3-5-2. But Villa were ill at ease with their new situation, and not merely because Portsmouth deployed two wingers. Ashley Young and Gareth Barry played like strangers on the left, while James Milner was an isolated figure on the right.

Curtis Davies went close with a snap shot that flashed just over David James’s bar early on. That was as good as a meandering first half got for Villa. Portsmouth, though, are finding Niko Kranjcar’s enforced absence has left them without midfield spark, while the knee injury that prevented Lassana Diarra from playing for France in midweek removed their most influential grafter.

After 29 minutes, Portsmouth created their first chance of the afternoon. They must still be wondering how they failed to score. Winger Armand Traore burst into the penalty area, finding himself in a place where a right-back might have been expected to cover.

He shot hard and true, but the ball hit the post and bounced off Brad Friedel’s back towards goal. Davies did wonderfully well to block, only for Jermain Defoe to hook over the unguarded goal from four yards.

The second half wended a similarly weary way. For all their territorial hegemony, lopsided Villa still channelled everything down the left. With the imperious Sylvain Distin and Sol Campbell forming the immovable object against a most resistible Villa, Portsmouth barely broke sweat in keeping them out. Stray pass piled upon stray pass.

What force there was, was always with Villa. John Carew lobbed inches over James’s bar, and when, after 75 minutes, the home side finally managed a shot on target, James, with the enthusiasm of the hitherto unemployed summoned to duty, dived spectacularly to clutch Young’s curled free kick.

Villa even had a man advantage for the denouement when Sean Davis received a second yellow card for hauling over a jelly-legged Stilyan Petrov after 80 minutes.

The Holte End finally pumped up the volume and Carew headed Nigel Reo-Coker’s cross on to the top of the bar, but were these maladroit teams still banging their heads against each other this morning, you suspect that neither goal would have been breached.

Star man:Sol Campbell (Portsmouth)

Referee:M Riley

Attendance:37,660

ASTON VILA:Friedel 6, Cuellar 6, Davies 6, Laursen 6 (L Young 87min), Milner 5, Reo-Coker 6, Petrov 6, Barry 6, A Young 5, Agbonlahor 5, Carew 6

PORTSMOUTH:James 6, Johnson 6, Campbell 8, Distin 8, Pamarot 6, Little 5 (Utaka 71min), Diop 6, Davis 5, Traore 6 (Belhadj 82min), Crouch 5, Defoe 5 (Mvuemba 84min)