Aston Villa are beginning to resemble one of those puffed 1,500 metres pace-setters who look desperately and vainly over the shoulder for someone else to take up the running.
They had taken just eight points from their previous seven matches, but despite their slowdown needed just one point from yesterday's match to return to the top of the Premiership. At least until tonight.
In the event, a late header from Ugo Ehiogu gave them all three, but their performance was hardly the stuff of champions elect. They struggled to impose themselves against a 10-man Sheffield Wednesday side whose thoughtful movement and clever passing belied their modest position.
The Villa manager, John Gregory, admitted: "It wasn't a great game but that's the Premiership for you. In a season, in 38 games, I reckon you will get eight very good performances. Then you will have 10 or 15 which are pretty ordinary and the rest will be howlers.
"This one belonged to the middle group. But we did win it, and when Julian Joachim hit the post a short time before the winner I had this feeling that it wasn't going to be our day. But we keep going, we keep showing our character and we keep grinding out the results. I was delighted with the winner, because Ugo has been complaining about the service he's been getting recently.
"Ugo had a couple of dress rehearsals before he finally scored and I couldn't see a lot wrong with the goal he had ruled out. I thought their goalkeeper ran into his own defenders rather than anyone pushing him - but it all came right in the end."
While there is a suspicion that Villa may need a little more than this if they are to keep pace with the more exotic talents of Chelsea and Manchester United, they have, in Paul Merson, a man who could lend their season a fresh impetus from mid-January. He has been missed.
Wednesday, who have a happy habit of playing well against the leading sides, shaped their side along Villa's lines by playing three at the back with five in midfield. They matched the home side with some ease, and for some time even after Dejan Stefanovic was shown the red card, in the 20th minute, for his second foul. Both were against the awkward, muscular Joachim.
It was the pace of Joachim which led to Stefanovic receiving his marching orders. He was unable to keep pace and a tackle just outside the area on the Villa striker was always a risky option unless timed to perfection.
Joachim tried to regain his balance but eventually went sprawling to the ground, and Stefanovic was heading for an early bath.
Wednesday's manager, Danny Wilson, was less than pleased with the decision. "It was a scandalous, diabolical decision. I think the referee will feel embarrassed when he sees it again. The second foul was bookable, but the first . . . no way.
"But give our boys credit the way they played after that. That gives great encouragement for the future. The only goals we conceded were from set pieces. We broke up their play, defended excellently and counter-attacked well, but we were undone by a sucker punch."
Gregory agreed that Stefanovic had been hard done by but, strangely, thought that the second yellow card had been the more harsh decision.
By then the score was 1-1. Villa took the lead in the seventh minute when Gareth Southgate volleyed home following a free-kick from the most impressive Lee Hendrie. Pavel Srnicek could only parry the free-kick when under pressure from Dion Dublin and the ball broke into the path of the England defender who stroked home a low drive from 12 yards out.
A minute later Wednesday had levelled. Benito Carbone, returning to the side after a Christmas break in his native Italy - he was suspended on St Stephen's Day - took advantage of a ponderous Villa defence to score with an overhead kick.
Carbone might have put Wednesday ahead in the 42nd minute when his delightful chip from Petter Rudi's pass sent the ball rolling across the roof of the net.
In the second half, Villa's superior manpower slowly took its toll on Wednesday. In the 59th minute, Ehiogu had that headed goal disallowed, and then Stan Collymore, who had replaced Riccardo Scimeca, produced a marvellous, dipping shot from 25 yards which Srnicek did well to tip over.
The most dramatic effort of all came from Joachim in the 82nd minute, a 20-yard drive which hit the right post. Three minutes later Ehiogu headed Villa's winner from six yards following Alan Wright's corner.
Aston Villa: Oakes, Wright, Southgate, Ehiogu, Watson, Taylor (Draper 53), Joachim, Dublin, Barry, Hendrie, Scimeca (Collymore 53). Subs Not Used: Charles, Grayson, Rachel. Goals: Southgate 7, Ehiogu 85.
Sheff Wed: Srnicek, Atherton, Jonk, Walker, Carbone, Booth, Stefanovic, Hinchcliffe, Thome, Rudi (Humphreys 88), Alexandersson (Briscoe 88). Subs Not Used: Magilton, Sonner, Pressman. Sent Off: Stefanovic (21). Booked: Stefanovic, Rudi, Walker, Hinchcliffe. Goal: Carbone 8.
Referee: G Barber (Pyrford).
