If this is what Premiership football is like week on week, you can keep it.

Well okay, I'd quite like us to get there. Not yet, obviously. Give it a couple of years more when we have the basis and the squad to compete. Taking on Premiership opposition in the FA Cup and giving them a game is the best we can enjoy right now, but it wasn't an occasion to savour.

For a start, five thousand fans seem to have disappeared since Sheffield United in midweek, which made the away fans' chant of "You've only come to see the Villa" all the more misplaced. And there's a syllable too many therein, which makes it sound clumsy, especially when exacerbated by a Birmingham accent. The presence of the BBC cameras naturally hindered the progress of the turnstiles, although the sight of Garth Crooks in the studio as an expert should have prompted all the part-timers away from their sofas and into their cars as quickly as possible. They'd better be back for Crystal Palace.

As for proceedings on the pitch, it was mostly predictable stuff, really. City huffed and puffed early in the first half and early in the second; Villa spread the ball with the aplomb expected of a several thousand pounds a week wage; and a piece of divinely bad fortune took away City's appetite and, ultimately, any chance of them wrestling even a replay.

Gareth Barry's class throughout the game was plain for all to see. An attacking full back of admirable stamina and energy, he has long been an available answer to the international left-sided issue which Sven has ignored, probably because he doesn't tick the Champions League box. At Villa he's a model of consistency and a real threat to the opposition both in attack (strong runs, powerful shots, dipping crosses) and defence (timed challenges, a striker's pace, organisational quality), and it was his instinct on the offensive, plus some unwelcomely timed respect from City, which earned him the chance to put Villa in the fourth round hat on the hour.

City couldn't clear properly and the ball was spread to the willing Barry on his usual sly overlap, and initially City looked like they did the right thing by forcing him inside on to his weaker right foot. But then Barry skipped through one half-challenge, then another and, with the room in front of him, few options ahead and probably a spot of fatigue, he swung his supposed standing foot and got a connection which Bo Myhill, anxious to impress against the club which wiped his apprentice's nose but then didn't give him a first team chance, had covered. Then the colossus Leon Cort - just doing his job, like Andy Dawson against the Blades - threw a leg out to try to block, and only succeeded in deflecting the chance away from the plunging Myhill and into the net, in front of a pleased and relieved Villa following.

That left City with half an hour to claw their way back, but it looked less than likely. It should be hammered into City's players that they are in the Championship - and therefore the third round of the FA Cup - on merit, and as such, nobody should be afforded their respect. The team selection didn't help, with Nicky Barmby succumbing to a late calf injury and big-occasioners Stuart Elliott and John Welsh left on the bench, allowing a return for the fit again Craig Fagan to the attack and the maligned Kevin Ellison to the left flank. Myhill was protected by a back four of France, Cort, Collins and Dawson; the midfield consisted of Price, Andrews, Delaney and Ellison, with Fagan and Paynter up front. Matters weren't helped fewer than 30 minutes in when Andy Dawson hobbled off with a foot injury and Mark Lynch strode on to play as the least orthodox left back we've ever had.

Ellison's inclusion naturally raised a lot of eyebrows. Some suggested it was Mr Taylor's way of showing what the FA Cup really meant, by leaving out the first choice left winger in favour of a grafting but limited wideman whose effort outweighed his end product. Others sought not to find a reason for the choice, but just instead slag off Ellison with some relentlessness. I was surprised and disappointed with his inclusion - more because I want Elliott to play, rather than Ellison not to - but I was far more disappointed with the appalling treatment Ellison got from some sections of the East Stand, who don't seem to realise that players are there to be encouraged during the 90 minutes, not monstered. Ellison deserves all our support while he wears black and amber and the vitriol, no matter how deserved, should be reserved for before and after.

Ellison won a few early free kicks but both he and Jason Price realised quickly that in Mark Delaney and the terrific Barry they were facing fullbacks who were considerably better than the journeymen who turn up in the Championship week on week. Price, after such a purple patch of late, was notably quiet; receiving the ball frequently but constantly finding himself unable to release it effectively or gain full control. Villa had him in their pocket for much of the occasion and only when a challenge sent Price to the ground for a half-baked penalty appeal midway through the half did the afroed Welshman make a telling contribution.

Shortly beforehand, Villa seemed unfortunate to have a goal by Juan Pablo Angel ruled out for offside as he touched home a cross shot from five yards out. Angel's contribution to the game seemed to end there, despite no real attempt by either of City's central defenders to mark him out of the game.

The first half became pretty much an exercise in allowing Villa to maintain much of its pace and direction. City had flurries but were restricted to chances from long balls and longer shots. Ellison cut in from the left to smack a right-footer into the side netting; Fagan couldn't quite get a toe on to Cort's strong cross-nod from the wily Keith Andrews' long ball; and set pieces were dealt with in some comfort.

Mr Taylor put Elliott on for Ellison in the second half - apparently Garth Crooks picked out Ellison as a threat, which put the mockers on the willing Scouse winger even further - and again we fought Villa into a corner for ten strong, hopeful minutes.

Price had room from Damien Delaney's long pass to aim one at Thomas Sorenson's goal but was off balance as he struck it, and it sliced straight into the keeper's hands. Then an Andrews corner reached the besweated forehead of Cort and the ball was destined to ripple the string until the annoyingly brilliant Lee Hendrie, the architect of Villa's main attacking spells, got in the way of destiny to clear. This redirected the tide and within five minutes Barry had put Villa in the ascendancy.

City fought back briefly - a fine Ryan France cross met the meat of Elliott's nut but he uncharacteristically hammered the header wide. Although more than 20 minutes remained, City could offer little more, a fact emphasised by the manager's decision to withdraw Paynter, throw on the unperforming Stuart Green and force the shattered Price up front. John Welsh stayed on the bench when his brand of swashbuckling, prisoner-taking midfield dynamism might have upped City's tempo for the final ten minutes, especially as he was fresh as a daisy following a period out of the team. It's time he was given his job back.

Villa held on with ease and City became the first of many clubs to ponder the soundbite of concentrating on the League, something which we'll have to do with precision when Crystal Palace come to the KC next. No FA Cup tie against a bigger club deserves nitpicking or deep autopsy, despite reservations about the collective ambition of team and coaching staff with some of the selections and the way City played after going behind.

There were positives - this author's given Lynch some stick, but he was remarkably assured as a right-footed left back throughout his impromptu stint following Dawson's early withdrawal, and with the news that Dawson has possibly fallen victim to the dreaded metatarsal fracture which has polluted English football of late, we'll need Lynch to be more like that. Typically, our deputy Dawson in Roland Edge was released 24 hours before the injury, so Lynch has an opportunity ahead to prove he's not playing on an ex-Manchester United reputation. Well done also to the towering Cort and the immaculate Andrews, whose assured leadership down the middle was enhanced by some exquisite long-range passing, especially in the first half.

Days like these are just days out when you're City, unless you find that your big-deal opponents don't give a stuff about you and curtail their attitude accordingly. Villa made that mistake at Doncaster and weren't going to repeat it. City were unlucky, and we still can't impress anyone on telly, but at least it's out of the way and we can think once again about what's really important to us. (MR)