Marc Albrighton urges Villa to bounce back

Marc Albrighton has urged Villa to "take out" their Fulham frustration on Blackpool tonight.

Gerard Houllier's team host the Seasiders this evening in what will be the first Premier League meeting between the teams, writes Brendan McLoughlin.

Villa are bidding to end a run of five games without a win in the top-flight. However, they could not have come closer to victory on Saturday when Brede Hangeland denied them three points with a headed equaliser deep into injury-time to earn Mark Hughes' men a 1-1 draw.

It has left the claret and blues languishing in the unfamiliar territory of 14th in the table, two places and a point behind Ian Holloway's newly-promoted side.

Albrighton, 21 later this month, admits having three points snatched from them so cruelly left him and the rest of the dressing "devastated" — but insists they aim to bounce back against Blackpool in the Villa Park showdown.

"Everyone is just down in the dumps but we have to go again against Blackpool," he said. "We have to let Saturday go and take it out on Blackpool.

"It was devastating, heartbreaking — even walking off the pitch at the end. It gave us no time to score another goal."

Albrighton has scored Villa's last two goals in the Premier League — at Tottenham and Saturday's stunner at Fulham — and, after signing a new three-and-a-half year deal with the club last week, he is understandably on cloud nine.

"It feels absolutely superb," he smiled. "I'm coming through at the club that I love. To score goals for them is unbelievable.

"It's what I've always wanted to do as a lad so to do it is a dream."

He is not the only young player flourishing under Houllier's guidance.

An injury crisis at Villa Park which has left leading lights like Gabby Agbonlahor, John Carew, Emile Heskey, Stiliyan Petrov and Nigel Reo-Coker all on the treatment table and means Houllier has been forced to turn to his supporting cast of youngsters.

Thankfully, Barry Bannan, Ciaran Clark and Nathan Delfouneso have all offered promising signs they can plug the gaps.

"A lot of people don't know about the young players at Villa but we all have faith in each other," said Albrighton.

"We have confidence and all hope to have good careers in the game and hopefully it can be on the Premier League stage.

"Barry slotted straight in there and played some world class balls on Saturday. He kept the ball moving against some experienced Premier League players. He dealt with that.

"Ciaran slotted in when he came on as a sub like he had 100 league games under his belt. He did absolutely fantastic.

"He will win the ball back, he will give it to Barry who will knock it out to me and Nathan will score the goals. That's why our reserve team has been so good over the past four years.

"If we can bring this into first-team action I think we can have good careers."

Match of the Day might not have given Albrighton's goal the credit it deserved, but the breathtaking strike created by Bannan's 60-yard wonder pass and converted so clinically by the England Under-21 winger was comfortably the highlight of Saturday's tussle by the Thames.

And Albrighton believes the Premier League got a glimpse of what he and the diminutive Scot, who is also 20, have been doing in the youth teams and reserves for years.

"We have clicked well together for years in the youth sides and the reserves," he added.

"We've always had that good connection and hopefully now we can bring it on the Premier League stage like we did on Saturday.

"It makes it more enjoyable that we're all so close. We've been playing together a good six or seven years and I've enjoyed every minute of it.

"He knows that I'm going to be out there when he's got the ball and without looking he can just spray it out there.

"I know that if I get myself out there he's going to find me. I think that was proved on Saturday."

Bannan, meanwhile, knows all about the Seasiders, having helped them gain promotion while on loan there last term.

Having been installed as red-hot favourites to go down, eyebrows have been raised in some quarters at the start Holloway's men have made — but it has come as no surprise to Bannan.

He said: "I told the boys back here that Blackpool won't struggle this year.

"When I was there last year I saw how good they were.

"Their attitude is first class. They just get on with the job and to be honest they are doing really well this season."