Steve Davis believes Aston Villa remain capable of a top-10 finish in the Barclays Premiership – despite their nightmare week.
Villa crashed out of the FA Cup at Manchester City last week, and league defeats at Blackburn and Everton ended any lingering hopes of a late push for a UEFA Cup spot.
But Davis stressed it was vital for 15th-placed Villa to finish the season on a high rather than a whimper – starting with Saturday’s home encounter with Fulham.
The Northern Ireland midfielder said: “We’re disappointed with the last three results. We wanted to do well in the FA Cup and we wanted to maintain an unbeaten away record stretching back nearly five months.
“We have to put things right. Everyone from the fans to the players and staff are disappointed at the last few results and we have to put them right.
“But we’ve still got eight games left and hopefully we can move up the table and finish as high as possible.
“There’s definitely still a chance of us finishing in the top half of the table. There are 24 points to be played for and if results go our way, there’s no reason why we can’t finish in the top 10.
“We’ve achieved that the last couple of seasons and there’s no reason why we can’t do the same again. Hopefully we can start to put things right on Saturday with a good win.
“We’re desperate to progress up the league and finish the season on a high note. I don’t think we should be looking back.
“As long as we show a bit of confidence, we can get a few good results and there’s no reason why we can’t pick up.”
