Aston Villa: Curtis Davies calls for crowd support

Aug 26 2009 By Mat Kendrick

Reports that they have agreed a £6 million deal with Manchester City for Richard Dunne are premature, although they do have a strong interest in the Irish centre-half.

It is likely to be down to either Dunne or Newcastle’s Steven Taylor to fill the void left by Martin Laursen’s retirement, with Villa now expecting No.1 target Sylvain Distin to join Everton after playing down reports of a fresh offer for the Portsmouth captain.

The capture of Blackburn’s Stephen Warnock is believed to be imminent with the clubs close to agreeing a £7 million deal for the left-back, who was an unused substitute in Rovers’ Carling Cup win at Gillingham last night.

Villa fans attending tomorrow night’s match have been given a special incentive to cheer Villa to victory – free entry to the club’s next Europa League tie – provided Villa progress in the competition.

In an attempt to boost the crowd and crank up the atmosphere, the ticket stubs from the Vienna match can be used to gain admission to one of three potential group matches at Villa Park.