A new season and a new manager couldn't inspire a performance from Villa as they held on at Craven Cottage to share the honours against Fulham.
The Claret and Blue side of Birmingham started slowly as chances fell few and far between for the visitors. When they did eventually appear poor service or finishing meant they were wasted, as Mark Schwarzer had a relatively easy day between the Fulham posts.
Emile Heskey and James Collins wasted crosses from Villa new boy Charles N'Zogbia while N'Zogbia himself failed to find the target blazing over from the 18 yard box after a neat link up with Darren Bent.
Goalkeeper Shay Given was initially given a fairly easy start to his Aston Villa career, but the Ireland international was called upon to keep out Andy Johnson's effort just before the break, while Damien Duff's two long range efforts kept the new keeper on his toes.
Fulham upped their tempo after the interval as Given helped Villa cling on to a clean sheet, instinctively reacting to a close range effort from Bobby Zamora before denying the Fulham striker for a second time, saving with his legs as he bore down on goal.
Villa however still struggled to create chances, and even the introduction of Mark Albrighton (who replaced arguably Villa's best player N'Zogbia) failed to provide any chances to test Schwarzer in the Fulham goal. Villas best and only chance of the second half, came when Bent managed to cross from the byline finding an unmarked Albrighton on the top right of the area but the England Under-21 was unable to find the target blasting into the side netting.
Both sides will want more as the season continues and both Martin Jol and Alex McLeish will have wanted more from their opening fixture of the season.
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