Martin O'Neill backs Marlon Harewood to end goal drought

Sep 25 2008 By Bill Howell, Birmingham Mail

MARLON Harewood has received the backing of Martin O’Neill as his goal drought reached nine games.

The £4million striker missed two good chances against QPR which contributed to the club’s shock defeat.

He has has now not scored in three starts and two substitute appearances this season and another four appearances from the bench at the back of last season since his goal in the 6-0 rout of Derby in April.

“His attitude is absolutely fine. He got into position, he missed a couple of chances and on another evening he probably would have taken them,’’ said O’Neill.

“Had he scored the first from Stiliyan Petrov’s ball I am quite sure he would have taken the second with the header from Ashley Young’s cross.

“Those chances might have fallen to somebody else and they might have missed them.’’

It wasn’t simply a case of Harewood not firing and O’Neill bemoaned a lack of a cutting edge to his team as Villa slumped out of the Carling Cup.

“We should have won. I don’t think there is any question of that,’’ he said.

“We had enough chances, we had enough possession, we had enough authority – as we should have on our own pitch – and if it meant that we had to wait until extra time to win the game, I would have taken it.

“I felt that we were in control of the match..”

Even two substitutions mid-way through the second half failed to make the breakthrough.

O’Neill continued: “We wanted to get some natural width to get the ball into the box and so we put Wayne Routledge on. But it wasn’t to be.

“I know that eventually in the light of day people look at the result and think that we have not fielded a strong side but we did and we tried to win the game.

“We kept all the major players in the side with one or two out.

“We treated the competition with the respect it deserves and we got beaten.