Hendrie set for second-string appearance
Aston Villa midfielder Lee Hendrie will taste his first action since being sentenced to community service after pleading guilty to an assault charge in Tuesday’s reserve outing with Leeds.
The father of two has been warned by Villa assistant manager Roy Aitken to “curb his activities” when away from the club.
Hendrie will have to complete two months of community service after admitting at Solihull Magistrates Court last Friday to attacking a man in the street.
Aitken refused to confirm whether 28-year-old Hendrie would be fined by manager David O’Leary but said the matter would be dealt with internally.
Hendrie was a non-playing substitute in Saturday’s 1-0 Premiership win over Portsmouth. He was greeted by a smattering of boos from fans when warming up on the touchline in the first half.
The one-time England player has struggled to claim a regular first-team spot this season with James Milner, Steven Davis, Gavin McCann and Gareth Barry being O’Leary’s preferred midfield quartet.
Promising defender Gary Cahill will continue his comeback from a long-term ankle problem in the same game.
Cahill, voted Player of The Year when on loan to Burnley last season, had been earmarked to play against Pompey because of a defender shortage.
But O’Leary had a change of heart after initially stating that Cahill would play and felt it was too soon for the player to be thrust into senior action. His only appearance at first-team level was in the Carling Cup tie at Wycombe in September.
