GARETH'S GOODBYE GOAL

ASTON Villa's last-ditch push to secure a UEFA Cup place ended in failure as they concluded their season with a draw at Upton Park.

Skipper Gareth Barry appeared to have fired a second-half winner when he expertly finished a move he started but Hammers striker Dean Ashton struck a late equaliser to earn his side a point they scarcely deserved.

BRUCE IS A BARGAIN!

DAVID HARRISON at Villa Park

STEVE BRUCE had £1million worth of reasons to be cheerful.

That was the Brucie bonus for keeping his Wigan team in the Premier League.

TIM SMITH at Goodison

THE race to reach the UEFA Cup is set to go to the wire after a dramatic Goodison Park showdown between the fifth and sixth-placed clubs in the Barclays Premier League.

Everton led twice, with Phil Neville's deflected effort and Joseph Yobo's close-range finish.

ADAM CROWHURST at Villa Park

JOHN Carew and Ashley Young grabbed a brace apiece to keep Aston Villa on course for Europe and send humiliated local rivals Birmingham closer to the Barclays Premier League relegation trapdoor.

Martin O'Neill's side outgunned their woeful opponents in all departments to close the gap on fifth-placed Everton to three points.

CARROLL NOT SINGING ANYMORE

HE has one of the worst jobs in football so spare a thought today for Roy Carroll.

The Derby keeper needs a summer of therapy in intensive care after spending half a season behind a defence that is more suited to the League Against Cruel Sports than the Premier League.

Carroll is the man who soaks up all the punishment and against Villa it was more than he could handle or deserved.

Click for action pics of Derby v Aston Villa