Villa skipper Gareth Barry has leapt to the defence of the club’s under-fire back four ahead of tomorrow’s trip to Bolton, insisting: “We’re all to blame.”

Martin O’Neill’s fifth-placed side have claimed just three points from their last eight Premier League games and their winless streak now stands at 11 after West Ham’s late equaliser at Villa Park last weekend.

The claret and blue defence has come under scrutiny after conceding 12 goals in the last four games, leaving their Champions League hopes all but over.

Villa can close the gap on fourth-placed Arsenal, who face Middlesbrough on Sunday, to five points should they triumph over the Trotters – but they will then have just 12 points still to play for.

Barry admits it is imperative they tighten up at the back but he believes the entire team must take responsibility.

He said: “We’re at a stage where the club just needs three points just to get back on track. In the last three games we have been unlucky, we could have scored a lot more goals in the games.

“But ultimately it’s all about getting three points. We’re not blaming the defence for the amount of goals we are conceding, we are looking at it from a team perspective.

“We have to start defending from the front and, at the same time, we don’t want to take away the attacking play we’ve had as well.

“It’s about getting the right mix against Bolton because we know it’s going to be a battle anyway, that’s their style.

“We have to defend properly then hopefully we can nick a few goals.”

O’Neill, whose side will be all but certain of a Europa Cup place should they win and West Ham lose this weekend, has challenged his team to finish the campaign on a high and knows they must be ready to take advantage of any Gunners slip-ups.

He said: “At this minute you would reckon that European football is on the cards. We want to try and finish on a high, we want to win the games. You never know, things can still turn around.

“If we could have turned the Everton and West Ham draws into wins we would have been in a really good position.”

The Ulsterman is aiming for a repeat of the December 4-2 success over Wanderers, who are six points clear of relegation.

He said: “Bolton have kept their heads above water. We fought back from a goal behind to beat them at Villa Park and we will need that same spirit.”

O’Neill must decide whether to call on Gabby Agbonlahor, who is back in training after a hamstring injury.