Defender admits Villa blame

Curtis Davies today admitted blame for Fulham’s two goals that ended Villa’s eight-match unbeaten run.

The 2-1 defeat at Craven Cottage meant Villa had lost away for the first time since September 16 – a run of nine games.

For Davies, his errors completed a rollercoaster week following his shock call-up to Fabio Capello’s first England squad of 30, before he missed the cut when the final 23 were selected.

Davies was slow to react to Simon Davies’s run and shot for the first goal, then brought down former Albion team-mate Diomansy Kamara for the free kick that led directly to Jimmy Bullard’s winner.

“It’s the ups and downs of football – the England call-up and then going to Fulham and losing the game,” he said.

“I thought I could have done better, but it just shows I’ve got more to do and I’m not going to stop trying.

“For the first goal I saw Simon Davies late and tried to react but he got there first.

“Then for the second I gave away a free-kick and I hold my hands up. I’m not going to hide.

“He (Kamara) skipped past someone and I thought: “you’re not going to get past me!”

“I thought if I didn’t win the ball, it was better to get him, then we could regroup.

“I took the decision to win the ball or the man because I know “Joe” can skip past people and score, but they did that anyway.”

Davies denied any bad blood between the pair from their Hawthorns days, adding: “We’re good friends. I’ve got his shirt. He was one of my best mates at Albion.”