O'Neill sets out his new goals

Aug 18 2007 By Bill Howell, Birmingham Mail

MARTIN O'Neill sends out his troops at Newcastle tonight insistent that Villa have the ability to find the back of the net on a consistent basis this season.

But he has warned his defenders that the club will not leap forwards if they continually need three goals to win their matches.

Villa scored only 43 goals in 38 matches last season and bagged three in a single match only twice in the league - both at the end of the campaign at Middlesbrough and at home to Sheffield United.

O'Neill is set to stick to his three-striker policy at St James' Park, with Ashley Young playing behind the front two and, having seen his side rattle in 10 goals in the final five matches of last season and then score 13 in pre-season, the Villa boss is convinced they have the quality to stretch most Premier League defences.

Villa face back-to-back home clashes with Fulham and Chelsea after this weekend with O'Neill confident his side will click following the disappointment against Liverpool.

He said: "It's a difficult start to the season for us. We have some really, really tough games. But we go to Newcastle still with plenty of confidence.

"I'm looking forward to it and I don't see why we can't go up there and get a result. I really do think there are goals in the side. It's easy me saying that, we have to go and do something about it.

"But there are goals in us now. Looking at last season, we scored three goals on just two occasions. That was at Middlesbrough and at home to Sheffield United."

Villa failed to find the net on nine occasions in the league last season and head to Newcastle having not been beaten in five away games since a 2-0 reverse at Reading in February.

O'Neill continued: "There weren't too many games where we failed to score, but we want to improve on the number of goals scored.

"We can take some heart from the away run at the end of last season. We're capable of going away from home and not having that fear factor. But it's a different season and we all start again.

"I suppose after the big results at Blackburn Rovers and Middlesbrough, you could see the players playing with a lot more freedom, expressing themselves and fighting back in matches away from home.

"We came from behind at Blackburn, Middlesbrough and Bolton."