WITH seven minutes of Aston Villa’s penultimate home match remaining, Darren Bent scampered clear of the Wigan defence and bore down on Ali Al-Habsi’s goal. Redemption beckoned.

With just a swing of his hips, a swish of his left boot or a flick of his right the England international could have dispelled all the doubts and ended nine months of anxiety over the club’s Premier League status. He failed.

Al-Habsi held his nerve longer, grew bigger in the goal and made Bent commit himself first. In winning the psychological battle the Omani was also victorious in the war as he pawed away the striker’s tame effort. It was all so predictable and all so fitting.

This, after all, is the season that came too soon after Martin O’Neill’s departure yet won’t end quickly enough and Villa are destined to try their supporters’ patience for at least one more week.

Let’s be clear, the prospect of Villa going down is more remote than remote. The Latics and Blackpool can still equal Villa’s total of 42 points but they must also span a goal difference deficit of ten and nine respectively. It won’t happen.

But that doesn’t mean the Holte End branch of the Nail Chewing Society feel at liberty to knock-off just yet. A trip to Arsenal and visit from Liverpool still have to be negotiated and, if there is a team that can snatch disaster from the jaws of delight, the current vintage is just that team.

Mercifully neither Wigan nor Blackpool look especially well equipped to win their last two games, especially given the fact they both suffer from acute cases of relegation form.

Wigan are both the lowest scorers in the Premier League and have managed just one clean sheet in 19 games. History tells us that is not a combination which often produces far-reaching success.

Which means we must take with a barrow-full of salt Roberto Martinez’s post-match talk about his pride at a ‘sensational’ performance.

In the last ten games the Lancastrians have taken ten points and, if they are to mount a successful escape, it will have been by stealth and the failings of those around them rather than anything ‘sensational’.

In fact it is probably as withering a criticism possible to point out that Villa failed to beat them. If Wigan are on the poor side of ordinary, then Villa are there or thereabouts too.

That is not to say they don’t possess some very fine players and man for man they are by far the better side on paper.