The key stats and moments from the game against Villa.

ROVERS

BRAD FRIEDEL: Had one of his quietest afternoons for some time as Villa rarely threatened to breach Rovers' defence...6

LUCAS NEILL: Made a couple of thrusting runs from the back but his distribution could have been better at times...6

NISSA JOHANSSON: Neat and tidy defensively but could perhaps have offered more going forward...6

CRAIG SHORT: Another solid display at the back where he revelled in an aerial duel with Dion Dublin...7

MARTIN TAYLOR: Calm under pressure but could have been punished for a couple of lapses of concentration...6

GARRY FLITCROFT: Put himself about in the centre with typical enthusiasm but never hit the heights of Thursday night...6

DAVID DUNN: Not his usual self in midfield and eventually had to be replaced due to illness...5

DAVID THOMPSON: Struggled to reproduce the kind of dazzling form which earned him the man of the match award at Parkhead...6

ANDY COLE: Could have scored after two minutes with a header but he's going through one of those spells at the moment...6

DWIGHT YORKE: Surprised he got taken off because he looked the man most likely to make things happen in the first half...7

DAMIEN DUFF: Rovers' biggest threat in the second half and only denied a goal by Peter Enckelman's outstretched boot...7

SUBS:

OSTENSTAD (for Yorke, 65) 6; GILLESPIE (for Dunn, 65) 6; TUGAY (for Thompson, 76) 6

Subs not used: Ciccio Grabbi, Alan Kelly

OPPOSITION:

ENCKELMAN...Denied Duff 6

DELANEY...Did a reasonable job on Duff 6

MELLBERG...Solid defensively 7

BARRY...Could do job on left for Rovers 7

TAYLOR...Athletic midfielder 6

ANGEL...Flattered to deceive 6

DUBLIN...Missed a sitter 6

STAUNTON...Reliable defender 7

SAMUEL...Rangy full-back 6

KINSELLA...Solid if unspectacular 6

LEONHARDSEN...Fairly anonymous 5

SUBS:

MOORE (for Angel, 71) 6; CROUCH (for Dublin, 76) 5

Subs not used: Hitzlsperger, Johnsen, Postma

STATS:

Goal attempts: Rovers 25 Villa 18

Shots on target: Rovers 4 Villa 4

Woodwork: Rovers 1 Villa 0

Offsides: Rovers 4 Villa 5

Corners: Rovers 10 Villa 3

Free kicks: Rovers 13 Villa 16

YELLOW CARDS

Rovers: Duff

Villa: Moore, Barry

RED CARDS - None

REFEREE...Mike Dean (Merseyside) 7

Attendance: 23,004

TIME FOR ACTION:

02Rovers nearly make the perfect start as Andy Cole meets a David Dunn cross but his header is palmed onto the bar by Peter Enckelman

29Villa's first real chance falls to Juan Pablo Angel but his header flies wide of the far post

41Angel narrowly misses the target again with another header from a Jay-Lloyd Samuel cross

45David Dunn lets fly from 25 yards but his goalbound effort is deflected wide by David Thompson

47A Samuel cross nearly catches out Brad Friedel

48Cole tricks his way to the goal-line but his cross just evades a posse of Rovers players

49Enckelman denies Damien Duff when he sticks out a leg to divert his goal-bound shot

50Duff leaves a posse of defenders trailing in his wake but his shot creeps wide of the far post

69Dion Dublin hangs his head in shame after shooting wide with the goal at his mercy

75Another Dublin header lands on the roof of Friedel's net

78It's just not Rovers' day as Cole lifts another effort high over the bar