European Cup winner Gordon Cowans has urged Villa to swiftly tie Stiliyan Petrov down to a new contract after his ‘outstanding’ season.

Claret and blue boss Martin O’Neill is in the early stages of negotiations to extend Petrov’s existing deal, which runs out next summer, on the back of a series of fine displays this season, which have won supporters over following an indifferent first 18 months at the club.

Former Villa midfielder Cowans, now an academy coach, believes the ex-Celtic man has earned his new deal after turning around his Villa Park career.

He said: “The manager will decide that but I am sure after the season he has had, the manager will be looking to keep him.

“If you were to talk about players of the season, Stiliyan’s name would be mentioned by pretty much all of the supporters because he has had an outstanding season.

“He found it tough to come down from Scotland and adapt to the Premier League.

“It took him a while to get to grips with the pace of the league, but you have to give the lad credit.”

Cowans was one of a number of ex-players at the Holte Hotel yesterday for the launch of the Aston Villa Former Players Association’s new sponsorship deal, which is worth a combined total in excess of £30,000.

Sports medical supplier Medsport GB, the Sutton Coldfield-based Restaurant 82 and kit supplier Prostar were announced as the FPA’s new sponsors for 2009, the year which marks the FPA’s Aston Villa Old Stars team’s 50th anniversary.

Squad member Cowans added: “It just shows how far this organisation has actually come when you are doing a press launch like yesterday. It speaks volumes for (FPA chairman) Neil Rioch because he has organised so much for the association.

“It is fantastic  people still want to turn out, the likes of Tony Morley, Steve Staunton, Mark Kinsella are probably the youngest names, then there’s Pat Heard, Colin Gibson and myself so we have a fair squad.”