ASTON VILLA RESERVES 2 (Hofbauer 8, 69)
STOKE CITY RESERVES 0
A youthful City side fell to defeat against league champions Aston Villa in last night's penultimate Barclays Premier Reserve League South game of the season.
Dominik Hofbauer's brace was enough to separate the two sides at Villa Park although the Potters did hit the woodwork on a couple of occasions.
First teamers Nigel Reo-Coker, Wilfred Bouma and Marlon Harewood were all on show for the home side with Harewood also having a first half goal disallowed for offside.
Apart from Matthew Lund and Louis Moult, the rest of the Stoke team consisted of many of the Academy players who had played against Liverpool on Monday afternoon.
And it was skipper Lund who had the first chance of the match when his swerving free kick dipped just wide of the near post following a foul on Tom Urwin by the edge of the area.
The hosts would respond immediately though and neat build-up play across the pitch saw Hofbauer set free down the left to finish with aplomb from 15 yards out.
Harewood then tested Dave Parton with a low drive from the left hand side but the City keeper got down well to tip the fierce strike around the post.
Ciaran Clark's header later produced another decent save from Parton on twenty minutes when the Villa centre half met Harry Forrester's free kick.
Hofbauer was denied just before the half hour mark when Alex Hedley expertly turned his effort out for a corner at the far post following a teasing low ball from the right.
Clark would also have his head in his hands once more when his header bounced off the crossbar and away from the resulting corner.
Villa would have the ball in the back of the net again in the first half, but the linesman's flag would this time come to Stoke's aid. Following a counter attack down the left, Forrester fed a great ball into the six yard box for Harewood only for his well taken finish to be chalked off.
At the other end, Matthew Cohen saw his header from a corner tipped over the crossbar by Andy Marshall whilst the veteran keeper had to be alert again shortly after to thwart Rodney McDonald from another flag kick.
After the break, the Potters were twice denied by the woodwork as they pushed forward in search of an equaliser.
Marshall fumbled a cross from the left with the ball hitting the crossbar before Lund's follow up header hit the post and bounced away.
Lund then had another chance with a header on 68 minutes but this time the former Crewe Alexandra academy graduate saw his effort flash agonisingly wide of the near post from Laton Wint's left wing cross.
City would again be punished straight away as Villa broke up the other end and doubled their advantage through Hofbauer, who converted Weimann's cross from close range.
Two could have been made three by Weimann shortly after only for the post to once again deny the home side.
Parton then kept out Weimann from close range as the game drew to a close but Villa would claim all three points to give them a real chance of finishing the season unbeaten ahead of the final game next week.
ASTON VILLA: Marshall, Roome, Bouma, Hogg, Clark (c), O'Halloran, Bradley, Reo-Coker (Albrighton 68), Harewood, Forrester (Weimann 53), Hofbauer (Collins Jnr 76). Subs (Not Used): Bevan (gk).
CITY (4-5-1): Parton; Hedley, Cohen, McDonald, Wint; Mitchell, Lund, Connor, Nicholls, Urwin; Moult. Subs (Not Used): Quy (gk), Jackson, Alexander, Foster.
