Villa boss Martin O’Neill would be prepared to follow Stoke’s suit and utilise Rory Delap-style long throw-ins – if the club had the players to do it.

O’Neill takes his team to the Britannia Stadium braced for the inevitable aerial onslaught, which comes every time the Potters receive a throw-in close to the opposition penalty box.

His side became Delap’s first Premier League victims last season when his throw was headed home by Mamady Sidibe for an injury-time winner – but there have been plenty more since with the unfashionable tactic proving the Potters’ most potent weapon.

It was the case once again this week, as Delap grabbed another assist with his throw flicked on by Mamady Sidibe for Tuncay to score in Wednesday’s draw with Burnley – despite the Clarets moving their advertising hoardings at Turf Moor even close to the pitch in a bid to stop the junior javelin champion.

While O’Neill insists it would never be one of the major attributes he looks for in a player, the manager admits he would happily utilise it were it available to him.

He said: “Once we develop somebody in our team, I’m sure we would do it. We’ve got young Eric Lichaj, who’s very good in the reserves, I think it’s a natural thing. I think some players can throw the ball decent distances and other players can’t.

“If you’re asking me, if I saw an up and coming player and I was looking for a list of 10 things that the boy could do, then a long throw wouldn’t be one of them.

“But if he has a long throw it’s great. I remember the manager of one of Delap’s former clubs saying he didn’t even know he had a long throw, because it wasn’t used.

“It’s a very good weapon to have, but you would be hoping that you were in the side because of your ability and that would be the proverbial bonus.

“I heard Tony Pulis saying other teams are doing it – absolutely. Throughout the game at White Hart Lane the lad Gareth Bale, who’s got a decent throw, was putting it in there.

“Because Stoke started it there’s the feeling that they’re the only ones doing it, but that’s simply not the case.”

O’Neill admits his team will have their work cut out stopping Stoke and Delap but hopes for a repeat of their December shut-out – a victory the Villa boss described at the time as “their best performance of the season.”

He said: “We have to try to defend it as best we can, it’s a great weapon to have. If he can throw it in from a normal standing position, it’s difficult to stop. We will deal with it accordingly if we can.

“It won’t be easy, but it’s part of the game. Well done Burnley for trying! Next time round when we play Stoke we will have hoardings exactly on the touchline!

“Joking aside, I think you have to have them a certain distance away rather than players running into them.”

In the other camp, Pulis has great admiration for O’Neill, after the Villa manager’s dignified reaction to Sidibe’s 94th-minute winner at the Britannia last season and Glenn Whelan’s late equaliser eight months later in ‘that’ 2-2 draw at Villa Park.

He said: “It’s difficult when you lose a game late on, or have a win taken away, but there was no moaning or bleating from Martin. No excuses from him.

“No, his demeanour after the game was brilliant. He was just full of warmth and generosity towards Stoke City and that says something about the man.

“It shows the man has class – and I certainly can’t say that about everyone.

The Stoke boss believes his Villa counterpart is a manager “at the top of his game.”

Pulis said: “They’ve also reached the Carling Cup final and the semi-finals of the FA Cup, so Martin’s record speaks for itself this season and we’re certainly under no illusion about just how tough this match will be.

“But Martin’s been at the top of his game for years now and, for me at least, he should have been named England manager when the vacancy was last up. He’s got the necessary experience as both a player and a manager, both here and in European competition.

“He’s proved he can get the very best out of the players in his dressing-room and he would certainly have their respect.”

Furthermore, Pulis admits he will get more satisfaction this season in securing the club’s top flight status than last year.

He said: “Everyone tells you about second season syndrome and history proves that. If we can stay in this league the future is very bright for us. We have 35 points with 10 games to go so our aim is to get to 40 as quickly as possible.

“Obviously then we will try and better what we did last year with 45 points. If we can do this will have been an absolutely remarkable season.”

Villa have no fresh injury concerns for the clash, but it’s a different story for the Potters who are set to be without a host of players.

Pulis is hoping to have some of his injured players back for the home game on Saturday against Aston Villa.

Ricardo Fuller, Glenn Whelan, Danny Higginbotham, Salif Diao and James Beattie all sat out Wednesday’s game with Burnley, while Ryan Shawcross was suspended.

But Pulis believes Fuller could recover in time, after the striker fell over and jarred his back in the FA Cup defeat by Chelsea on Sunday.

The manager said: “Ric has quite a bit of swelling. But we think he has a good chance of playing on Saturday.”