Villa net extra boost for Carling Cup

Villa were today in line to gain the upper hand in their Carling Cup battle with Blackburn by receiving two extra days to prepare for their rescheduled first leg.

Last night's postponed semi-final first leg is expected to be confirmed later today for an 8pm kick-off on Thursday, January 14 – giving Rovers just 72 hours to recover from their Premier League fixture with Manchester City on the Monday night.

Villa, meanwhile, will have had over 48 hours more to recouperate with Martin O'Neill's men again travelling to the north-west to face Wigan on Saturday.

The news is sure to be welcomed by O'Neill, with his team on the receiving end of a similar scenario last month when Stoke were handed a free midweek ahead of their Villa Park clash.

Villa have come out in support of the decision to postpone the tie on safety reasons with weather conditions treacherous in the north-west, where heavy snow fell all day.

Club spokesman Brian Doogan said: "Given the conditions around Ewood Park in the morning, the decision which was reached by Blackburn Rovers, just after 11am, in conjunction with the police match commander, was inevitable.

"It was still snowing heavily in Blackburn at the point when the game was called off and, with safety of supporters being a paramount issue, there was no other course of action.

"When confirmation of the re-arranged date comes through we will announce details to supporters." And Rovers chief Sam Allardyce, who was among many in the north-west who spent yesterday snowed in, believes lives would have been put at risk if last night's game had received the green light.

He said: "With the roads they way they are, there was no way anyone was going to put lives at risk by letting the game go-ahead and expecting supporters to travel through the treacherous conditions and then try and get home again. Having 5,000 fans travelling up the motorway and then going home in minus eight temperatures would have been absolutely ludicrous."

* Meanwhile, Villa's FA Cup fourth-round clash with Brighton has been confirmed for Saturday , January 23 at 3pm.