Aston Villa 1 Bolton Wanderers 2: match report Increasingly desperate times call for desperate measures and the absence of Gabriel Agbonlahor from the starting XI gave McLeish little alternative but to bring in Emile Heskey from the wilderness. Heskey has been so out in the cold of late he has needed treatment for frostbite and there seems little prospect of him staying beyond the end of his contract in June. The former England forward had not scored since the opening day of the campaign but McLeish is running out of firepower and time, with the hands of relegation clawing away at his throat. Goals at Villa Park have been in short supply but the hosts were clearly aware of the game's magnitude, with Chris Herd heading a Charles N'Zogbia corner over the crossbar after 52 seconds before Heskey slashed a close-range shot wide. This game had been postponed three times before last night, with the last cancellation a result of Fabrice Muamba's cardiac arrest three days before at White Hart Lane. The delay had only heightened the importance, but all four sides of the ground produced a classy tribute to the Bolton midfielder with spontaneous applause in the sixth minute, in reference to his shirt number. Bolton had triumphed here in the Carling Cup earlier in the season but league points have been more difficult to attain. Coyle would make one of the best double glazing salesmen. His team have lost 21 games this season but still he talks with the relentless enthusiasm and hyperbole of a manager on the brink of qualifying for the Champions League. The financial implications of relegation for Wanderers will be grave while, like McLeish, a lengthy injury list could not have come at a more unwanted stage of the campaign. After a hesitant start Wanderers settled on a slippery surface and Ryo Miyaichi tested Shay Given with a low drive, but with David Ngog isolated up front they had the cutting edge of a plastic spatula in a first-half dominated largely by the home team. Villa should have eased the tension seven minutes before half-time. Alan Hutton's cut-back evaded its intended target but found Stephen Warnock and his shot came back off the crossbar. Bolton introduced their own golden oldie for the second-half, with Kevin Davies joining Ngog in attack as Coyle switched formation in a bid to claim three points. It proved a telling difference. Chris Eagles gave Given an uncomfortable moment with a swirling free-kick from 35 yards that the Villa goalkeeper spilled and the nerves that have afflicted McLeish's players all season in front of their own supporters were painfully obvious. But just when it appeared the game was edging away from them, Villa took the lead. N'Zogbia has been much maligned since his £9.5 million switch from Wigan but he danced down the right to present Warnock with the simplest of chances. The lead lasted barely a minute. Alan Hutton's reckless challenge on Mark Davies gave Chris Foy one of the easiest decisions he will make this season and Petrov dispatched his fifth goal of the campaign from the spot. Villa were only just recovering when they fell behind. Eagles cut inside the area, inviting another rash challenge, and pulled the ball back to Ngog who could not miss. To their credit, the home team did respond but never looked like clawing back a point. McLeish faced chants for his dismissal as time ebbed away and has three games to avoid what at the start of the season would have been unthinkable.