Aston Villa have continued their preparations for the new season by beating Swindon Town 2-0 at the County Ground.
Swindon took the game to the visitors in the early stages, but it was Tim Sherwood's side who created the first clear chance of the contest when Gabriel Agbonlahor headed just over from Leandro Bacuna's cross.
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Villa were forced to remain patient as they dominated possession until their breakthrough arrived when Alan Hutton's delivery eventually dropped for Scott Sinclair, who slotted home from close range.
The Premier League side almost added to their lead twice before the break as Carles Gil curled just wide of the target before Agbonlahor failed to find the target after sprinting clear of the Swindon defence.
There was concern for Villa early in the second half when Gil was forced off after falling awkwardly to give Sherwood a potential injury problem ahead of the new campaign.
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The visitors continued to look the more dangerous of the two teams, but they were left frustrated when Micah Richards powered a header against the post.
Despite struggling to create more chances as regular changes affected the flow of the game, Villa managed to wrap up the win late on when Jerell Sellars closed down a clearance from a triallist goalkeeper before passing the ball into an empty net.
Callum Mulvihill
