DEFEAT IS TOO SWIFT FOR ZOLA

Lasse proves there’s life after Hogan as his double kills Villa

GIANFRANCO ZOLA is still searching for his first win after 10 matches following this latest loss.

But victory completed a fine day for Jaap Stam’s high-flying Royals, who had a busy deadline day.

Boss Zola is trying to change Brum’s style after inheriting a pragmatic, but resilient side, from sacked predecessor Gary Rowett.

But the Italian is still struggling to get the balance right.

And the hosts were fortunate not to trail at the break after Liam Kelly was denied by the bar.

But the visitors’ superiority eventually told in the 77th minute when John Swift (above) slotted in the winner.

The midfielder tapped in his seventh of the season after good work down the left by Jordan Obita.

Third-placed Reading arrived at St Andrew’s boosted by the loan signings of Reece Oxford and Jordon Mutch, from West Ham and Crystal Palace respectively. They were also hoping to confirm the loan of Lewis Grabban from Bournemouth.

None was available here and new loanee striker Jerome Sinclair, from Watford, was also ineligible.

Zola made four changes to the side which lost at Norwich as he searched for a winning formula.

But it was the visitors who made the positive start, with Garath McCleary forcing Tomasz Kuszczak into an early save.

Reading remained the more dangerous side and they rattled the woodwork in the 25th minute with Kelly’s curling effort.

Birmingham improved after the break, with Kerim Frei putting over a low cross from the left, which Lukas Jutkiewicz missed from just five yards out.

City midfielder Craig Gardner also tested Ali Al-Habsi with a fine shot.

But Reading cut through the Blues’ defence too easily, as Swift snatched the late winner.

STEVE BRUCE can forget about the play-offs as Aston Villa defended with all the backbone of a jellyfish and extended their winless run to six games.

At Griffin Park, a splendidlyappointed ground with a pub on each corner, they should have stopped off at each one to drown their sorrows on the way home.

Villa’s body language was fluently shambolic as Nico Yennaris tore them apart and Brentford coped admirably without their 14-goal top scorer Scott Hogan, who was finalising a £15million move to Bruce’s side. Second thoughts, Scott?

The early optimism which greeted Bruce’s arrival as Villa Park boss has evaporated into the harsh realities of mid-table life in the Championship. Few managers were busier in the transfer window than Bruce, but defensively Villa do not just need a makeover. They need an enema – as when they were required to be stout of heart and firm of rectum, they were a bigger mess than Donald Trump’s department of homeland security.

Villa should have gone ahead in the opening nine minutes when Henri Lansbury’s pass sent Jonathan Kodjia scampering clear, but the striker’s finish was wastefully wide.

It became a costly miss when Yennaris sent Denmark forward Lasse Vibe into the channel to put the Bees in front, clipping his fifth goal of the season neatly beyond Sam Johnstone. And Yennaris nipped in to prod home Jota’s cross to make it 2-0 before the break.

Brentford fans could not resist a dig – “Hogan, Hogan, what’s the score?” taunted the M4 flyover choral ensemble.

And 20 minutes after the interval, he had even more food for thought as Vibe carved Villa’s feeble defence open again to easily bag his second.