This game never looked like having too many goals in it with Swansea virtually impossible to break down at home and Villa hardly firing on all cylinders away from Villa Park themselves. But it had goalless draw written all over it from start to finish after the shocking news of Speed's death this morning.
There were doubts about whether the game would even go ahead and perhaps the most memorable part of the entire game was the moving minute of spontaneous applause and chanting of the now former Wales manager's name throughout the hastily arranged minute's silence before kick off.
The emotional atmosphere was there for all to see and certainly had an effect on the players who all looked flat and were struggling to really get their heads in the game throughout a scrappy opening half in which neither goalkeeper was tested.
The second half of a sombre game was by far the better of the two with substitute Leroy Lita the first to waste a guilt-edged chance as he turned James Collins in the box but skewed his shot wide of Shay Given's goal.
That seemed to spark Villa into some sort of life and the always dangerous Gabby Agbonlahor began to threaten on a regular basis but they could not get enough players forward in support of Darren Bent to really test Michel Vorm.
Swansea had one last throw of the dice with Lita again finding space in the penalty area but Shay Given was out smartly to deny the former Reading striker.
The final whistle could not really come soon enough to end a game that was destined to be overshadowed by events elsewhere on a horrible day for football and Welsh football in particular.
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