Barry on song as Villa edge Ajax

BIRMINGHAM (AFP) - Aston Villa thanked England man Gareth Barry for the winner on Thursday as he clinched a 2-1 opening UEFA Cup group match victory over fellow former European champions Ajax.

Villa coach Martin O'Neill had already put one over the Dutch in the Champions League during his time at Celtic and here he saw Barry add to Martin Laursen's opener to sandwich an Ajax reply through Thomas Vermaelen.

The three points mean that Villa, European Cup winners in 1982, can be confident of getting out of a Group F which includes German league leaders Hamburg, who won 2-1 at Slovakia's MSK Zilina.

O'Neill, a European champion with Nottingham Forest, was full of praise for his men as they held Marco Van Basten's side at bay.

"I thought we were brilliant, I thought we deserved to win the game," O'Neill told broadcaster Five.

"Of course it was going to be tight - Ajax are a very good side.

"We've got good players as well; I thought we were magnificent," said the northern Irishman, who led Celtic to the 2003 UEFA Cup final, going down to a Porto team coached by Jose Mourinho.

Barry also agreed the win was well-deserved.

"Overall we deserved the win. We knew they were going to have a lot of possession but it's the scoreline that counts.

"It was very important we started with a win especially at home. It sets us up nicely," Barry said.