Hello and welcome to our LIVE coverage from Villa Park where Paul Lambert’s Aston Villa entertain Wigan in the Premier League.

Boyce is in the book having delayed the taking of a Villa throw.

Weimann lays-off to Benteke but the Austrian was offside as Holman played the ball. The Belgian sticks it away without hesitation but you get the impression he knew that it was to be disallowed.

The rain has begun to come down quite heavily now and the players are struggling to adapt – there are errant passes and late challenges aplenty as the half enters the last ten minutes or so.

The game is being played about 15 yards further away from the Villa goal now and Ireland finds Benteke in the channel, he cuts in but his shot is blocked.

Credit to Villa their intensity has picked up as the half has progressed and there is less space out there for the Latics.

Bannan tracks Maloney all the way to clear for a corner. Maloney puts it in but Villa deal with it easily.

Holman escapes the attentions of a few Wigan players before sending over a testing cross that is headed out for a corner. Bannan slings the corner over but a Wigan head rises to clear. Bennett collects the loose ball and goes on a slaloming run before behind bundled off it on the edge. Benteke picks up the loose ball but his effort is blocked.

Kone gets in behind but his effort from an acute angle is rash and wide.

The whole Villa side look porous and if Wigan could be more incisive in their forward movement and passing then they would have had the points wrapped up by now.

McCarthy with studs showing on Benteke, and Bannan lofts the resulting free-kick up to Benteke on the edge of the box but he fails to get his head to the ball.

Lichaj is having a torrid afternoon, and Wigan could be two or three goals to the good.

Maloney is finding all kinds of space between the Villa lines.

The customary round of applause for captain Stan Petrov begins at the start of the 19th minute.

Benteke, starved of service, has been poor thus far.

Weimann has a sight of goal but his effort is always rising from outside the box.

There is so much space out there at the moment – Figueroa this time charges forward but there is a break down in communication between the Honduran and Kone and his attempted through ball runs through and out for a goal-kick with the forward coming short.

The Latics have the run of the middle of the pitch. They continue to work the ball well through the middle before finding their wing backs in space. Beausejour again whips a teasing ball in but this time a Villa head clears.

Again the build-up for that penalty appeal came down the Villa right. Beausejour with the cute ball in behind the Villa back four.

Ireland clearly takes the legs of Maloney away from him – that’s their second shout for a penalty and that one was a concrete penalty. The referee is in a great position to see the hack but he shows no interest and waves play on.

Someone for Villa needs to pick up Beausejour – for the third time in succession he is afforded ample time down the left but this time his cross has too much on it.

Villa are again operating with a back three – but, with Weimann, Bannan and Ireland in front of them, one must question how much protection they’ll be afforded, and that early goal will do little for their collective confidence.