Aston Villa's playing squad were given a police escort as they left Adams Park yesterday after being held to a 1-1 draw at League Two outfit Wycombe Wanderers.

The result meant that their winless run in all competitions extended to 109 days and left manager Remi Garde still searching for his first victory since taking over the Villans in November.

According to The Mirror, fans who had made the 230-mile round trip waited outside the ground after the final whistle and greeted the squad with "a barrage of foul-mouthed abuse".

Earlier, captain Micah Richards had approached the away end of the crowd in an effort to temper their frustrations but was met with abuse and one fan had to be restrained.

"I can understand the fans. They travel a long way and we have to accept this criticism," Garde told reporters afterwards. "We are not winning this kind of game and this is what we deserve.

"Aston Villa is in a difficult situation and I think everybody has to keep calm, face responsibility and look in the mirror to see if we can do more to get out of this difficult situation."

Villa's quest for Premier League survival resumes on Tuesday when they welcome Crystal Palace to Birmingham.