Villa winger Ashley Young aims to prove practice makes perfect in the set-piece battle with England teammate and Fulham funnyman Jimmy Bullard.

The pair were on international duty together last week and were among the Three Lions stars who stayed behind after training to perfect their free-kicks.

Young admits the cockney prankster had the England camp in stitches with his antics.

But Villa have already found out to their peril that Bullard’s deadball threat is no laughing matter, with his 86th-minute free-kick separating the sides in Fulham’s 2-1 victory at Craven Cottage last season.

The Villa winger said: “He’s a good player. I was away with England last week and he was there and you can tell why he was there. To be honest, he’s a character, that’s as much as I can say! He’s a very funny character.

“Did we practice together? Yes, we did. There were a few boys that stayed behind doing shooting and set-pieces. It will be good to see which one of us has the most success on Saturday but as long as we get the three points that’s all that matters.

“I was suspended for the game down there last season so I watched it and it was disappointing to see the boys lose but it was a great strike from Jimmy.

“You see a lot of people taking free-kicks nowadays and quite a few that have been scored this season have been decent ones.

“Obviously I tend to work on it myself in training and, fingers crossed, if it’s going well on the training pitch, I’ll take that into the game and one of them will go in.

“I always put in extra after training with the free-kicks and things. Luckily for me it paid off last season and it’s paid off a few times this season.”

He was on the scoresheet in last term’s corresponding fixture and he admits the goal has been a source of banter in the claret and blue dressing room.

His cross-shot was deflected home by Zat Knight – just days before the centre-back left Fulham to join Villa.

Young said: “I scored against them in the home game. It deflected off Zat actually and went in, but the goals panel gave it to me because I suppose it must have been going in anyway.

“Zat was happy for me to have the goal and I was delighted!”