It was a day of farewells at Villa Park as Danish defender Martin Laursen stepped onto the hallowed turf for the final time and Newcastle United uttered a teary goodbye to the Premier League.
Damien Duff’s first half own goal sent the Magpies spiralling into the Championship and in truth they went down with a whimper as Villa dominated a lively encounter.
The much talked about Alan Shearer effect had little impact on the game and the former England centre forward cut a forlorn figure on the touchline.
In the opposite dugout stood Martin O’Neill, a man who has experienced many a battle in his long managerial career and a man who knows how to win ugly.
Newcastle’s travelling Toon Army deserved a good performance from their side but what they witnessed was a team lacking ability and lacking hope.
Hull’s defeat at home to Manchester United meant that Newcastle would have only needed one point to survive but despite plenty of huffing and puffing they just did not have the quality to prevail.
Having said that, it was the away side who came out firing. Duff almost opened the scoring at the right end with a shot that deflected onto the left palm of grateful Villa stopper Brad Friedel.
Mark Viduka then had a shot agonizingly cleared off the line by Spanish centre-back Carlos Cuellar and it looked like a backs to the wall job for the home side.
But when Obafemi Martins volleyed over from 12 yards and you began to get the feeling that the Magpies would be made to pay for their profligacy.
Newcastle may have looked fairly accomplished going forward however they were anything but when defending their own box and Argentine flop Fabricio Collocini was the main cause of uncertainty.
The curly haired centre-back struggled to cope with the pace of Gabriel Agbonlahor and he should have been booked for a blatant foul when James Milner was surging towards goal.
Villa sensed a lack of stability in the black and white backline and with Milner and Ashley Young rampaging on either wing they were becoming an increasing threat.
As it happened, the only goal of the game was very fortuitous one as Gareth Barry drove a hopeful shot in from long range and saw it deflect off the outstretched leg of Duff. The ball flew past a helpless Steve Harper and Villa were ahead. Cue Hull celebrations.
But Newcastle were determined to restore parity immediately and they again troubled their hosts – this time via a set piece - as Martins sent a strong header just past the post.
Flag
As the half time whistle blew Shearer would have been confident that his side could at least find one goal.
Ironically, on a day when one of Villa’s finest Premier League defenders made his final appearance at Villa Park, both sides looked in desperate need of a Laursen.
The Toon Army, who were positioned under a Danish flag which read “Martin – thanks for the memories”, would probably have settled for a crocked Dane as oppose to Collocini.
The stage was set for a big second half but it never really materialised much to the disappointment of the away support.
For all the flag waving a chanting, the Newcastle fans had nothing to smile about.
Shearer would have instilled a message of hope into his players during the break but, in truth, they looked a beaten side.
Villa on the other hand looked revitalised and it was O’Neill’s men who made all the running after the interval.
Barry had a golden chance to settle the game and condemn Newcastle to the Championship but after twisting and turning in the area he fired inches wide of the Harper’s left post.
Carew then missed an even better opening from close range after Agbonlahor did brilliantly to weave his way around the Newcastle defence.
Shearer was becoming desperate and his final throws of the dice saw the introductions of Michael Owen and finally Shola Ameobi.
Unfortunately for Shearer both front men were completely ineffectual and he must have been wishing that he could come out of retirement for the last 15 minutes.
Jose Enrique’s late cross almost nestled into the net and spared the Geordie blushes but it drifted wide and with that Newcastle’s hopes of staying up had gone.
One last blow for the Toon was the sending off of right-back David Edgar. The youngster was dismissed for a second bookable offence after pulling down Young in injury time.
Survival Sunday proved to be Sorry Sunday for Shearer and co. Many in black and white cried. Others simply sang defiantly.
Caution
One fan said that this was typical of their campaign – just not good enough!
For Villa, it was a sixth place finish and a point total of two points more than last season.
A note of caution for all Villans, though.
Newcastle shot for the stars and fell on their backsides. So did Leeds United and plenty of others. Villa fans must now take a step back and think themselves privileged to finish in the top six for a second season running.
Newcastle’s heartache was a reality check for all at Villa Park. It showed that even the biggest clubs are not safe.
Maybe now some will thank Doug Ellis for keeping the club stable for many years. He was no Mike Ashley and for all the hatred that was directed towards him, at least he kept the club in the Premier League and out of relegation trouble.
Ellis may have had his faults but he had the club at heart.
Current Chairman Randy Lerner has the same passion and his work behind the scenes has been nothing short of exemplary.
Newcastle can learn a lesson or two from Lerner and the Villa man will now be focused on another busy summer in the Midlands.
He has some work to do with O’Neill in the summer, notably finding a replacement for the retired Laursen. But you can be sure that he will listen to his manager and do what is best for the club.
Newcastle now face a transitional period in the Championship, but you can’t help feel that they will be back.
This final instalment of an exciting campaign certainly showed that both sets of fans deserve success. It is now up to the teams to hit the goals of their supporters next season.