Villa manager Martin O’Neill has thrown down the gauntlet to striker John Carew after urging the big Norwegian – “It’s payback time.”

The Holte End hero made a sensational impact on his return to the starting line-up last weekend, scoring a hat-trick against to fire the team into the FA Cup semi-finals.

But boss O’Neill faces a serious striking selection poser for tomorrow’s game with Stoke, with leading scorer Gabby Agbonlahor expected to be fit to return to compete alongside Carew and Emile Heskey.

The manager was delighted with Carew’s display against the Royals but, after seeing many of his other stars “carry” Villa through various stages of the campaign, believes it’s now the Norwegian’s turn to step up to the plate.

O’Neill said: “It was great to see him get a bit of confidence from it all. It’s a big thing – confidence and application are vital ingredients.

“At one stage or another someone takes up the mantle of carrying a team for a couple weeks. Some players do it individually – James Milner, Ashley Young and Gabby Agbonlahor have all done it for us.

“Other players get carried at that time. Now it’s payback time. Other people have to come in. You all have to come in and perform at one stage or another. No one single person can win games single-handedly, they need help somewhere along the way.

“For us to continue on between now and the end of the season we need everybody helping each other. It sounds a simple message but it’s absolutely true.”

Carew had a reputation as a footballing nomad before settling at Villa after a seven-year spell playing in six countries in Norway, Spain, Italy, Turkey, France and now England.

O’Neill rates the enigmatic striker’s spell at B6 as the best of his career but insists it isn’t over yet.

The Villa boss said: “Despite all the things that hover around this has been his best spell and I think he would accept that. Yet this boy has played in the Champions League final with Valencia, he’s played for Lyon and other big teams.

“If John left tomorrow he has done very well for us but he’ll want to keep this going because no one’s leaving – we’ve got a season to see through here and a very important season at that.”