Aston Villa fans warned by Cyrille Regis

Mar 11 2009 By Mat Kendrick

CYRILLE Regis has warned Villa they must draw a line under their UEFA Cup fall-out now if they are to reach the Champions League.

The former Villa striker has defended manager Martin O’Neill’s decision to sacrifice this season’s European competition for a brighter future.

Villa suffered a Premier League wobble last week, with a draw against Stoke and defeat at Manchester City potentially jeopardising their grip on fourth place.

And some supporters are blaming Villa’s Moscow misery for the blip which has enabled Arsenal to close the gap to just three points with ten games left.

But Regis, above, insists the time for recriminations is now over.

“In my opinion it’s a bit like if you miss an open goal,” said Regis. “It feels like you’ve wasted a great opportunity at the time and it does hurt for a while but you have to quickly move on and concentrate on the next goal.

“There’s been a lot of fuss about it and Martin has taken a lot of stick for using a weakened team, but continuing to complain about it won’t do anybody any good.