Aston Villa 2 Wanderers 0: SO near yet so far is fast becoming the story of Wanderers' season writes Neil Bonnar

They could so easily have emerged from this game with a point and maybe more. But how many times have we said that this season?

Last minute goals conceded, chances not taken and the lack of a quality final ball when vitally needed have been the difference between being three points from the bottom and being mid table.

Add to that a double dose of bad fortune yesterday in the form of a cast iron penalty not being given and a disastrous mistake from the most reliable of players and it adds up to a bad habit of points being lost when they should be being taken.

The remedy is simple. Wanderers need to be more solid at the back and create and convert more chances up front. Unfortunately that is more easily said than done.

They are close, however, as three impressive games unbeaten prior to yesterday's setback proved.

And, although Villa had the more clear cut chances, it was only one mad moment in defence early on, one terrible and uncharacteristic error by skipper Gudni Bergsson late on and one bad decision by the referee which stood between Wanderers and a point.

The latest hard luck story began when the defence got itself into such disarray on eight minutes that Dion Dublin was left with the freedom of the penalty area to slide Alan Wright's cross past Jussi Jaaskelainen after a clever dummy by Lee Hendrie.

There was nothing between the two sides after that as Villa tried to play their way through the Wanderers midfield and Wanderers took a quicker route to a front three of Michael Ricketts, Henrik Pedersen and Jay Jay Okocha.

Wanderers had their chances, notably when Kevin Nolan skied Okocha's deep cross from a good position in the first half and when more Okocha magic paved the way for Ricketts to bring a sharp save out of Stefan Postma in the second.

The rest of the chances were either ballooned over or shots from range which were smothered by Postma.

Apart from one. The major talking point of the game when referee Matt Messias chose to wave away a clear tug on Ricketts' shirt by Rob Edwards which carried such force it felled the big striker.

Sam Allardyce said Mr Messias bottled it and it is difficult to argue. Then when Bergsson handed Darius Vassell the second goal on a plate four minutes later the game, and Wanderers' blood pressure, was up.

It leaves them three points from the bottom with their game in hand lost on West Brom and West Ham whose games were called off. It also takes Villa, now nine points ahead of Wanderers, out of the relegation equation for the time being.

How Wanderers need a couple of back-to-back wins like Villa can now boast for the first time this season.

Certainly, results need to improve or the First Division next season is a certainty. Wanderers may deserve more points for their performances but the fact is they have only got 19 from 21 games.

If 40 points is the usual yardstick for survival that means 21 points are needed from the last 17 games. Seven wins at home to Fulham, Everton, Birmingham, Spurs, Manchester City, West Ham and the final match of the season against Middlesbrough will do very nicely.

But, as they have only managed four victories from four more games than they have remaining, it will not be easy.

Allardyce acknowledges a change is necessary within the side and hopes the striker and defender he aims to recruit this month will produce more goals and clean sheets.

Yesterday showed the size of the problem at both ends. Though Wanderers matched Villa for possession it has to be said that Gareth Barry could have had a hat-trick. In the first half a powerful header was turned away by a magnificent reflex save and in the second he was left alone twice to pick his spot and then miss it by inches.

A bigger disappointment was Wanderers' lack of cutting edge up front which Allardyce earmarked as "the real problem".

Ricketts could not disturb the home defence and fast, direct running by Henrik Pedersen and Ricardo Gardner only got as far as the edge of the area.

The best hope lay with Okocha but too often his final ball went astray. It was that kind of afternoon.