We need energy booster - Martin O'Neill

May 9 2008

MARTIN O'Neill is expecting more energy from his Villa side at West Ham on Sunday after admitting their zapped levels a gainst Wigan left him flummoxed.

O'Neill's side can still pip Everton for fifth but need to win at Upton Park while hoping for Kevin Keegan's Newcastle to do them a big favour and win at Goodison Park.

"It will be hard. We saw that with Wigan, which I knew would be exceptionally difficult," said O'Neill.

"I said a week ago the hardest thing for us to do would be to try and win all our matches.

"We have to bounce back. This is so so important. The disappointment of Saturday was that it was the most important game of the season and we came up short in terms of energy, which was a real surprise to me. It was really inexplicable.

"I am not sure why and the players are at a loss to know why.

"If you had said to me on Friday after training I thought we would really be ready.

"If the match had been played two hours after the training session I thought we would be a certainty.

"Whether it was a nervous tension kicking in, I don't know.

"Even going a goal behind we should still have been able to settle down for a little while.

"I know the second goal came rather quickly but we should have have been able to get that disappointment out of the way and fight back like we did against Everton the previous week."

O'Neill was at The Emirates Stadium last Sunday as the Gunners kept alive Villa's UEFA Cup hopes by defeating Everton.

"I went down and was actually delighted Arsenal won but at the same time I was left thinking 'If only'," he said.

"It was pleasing in that it keeps us in the hunt."