Steve Sidwell: I'll get the goals for villa

Oct 13 2009 By Mat Kendrick

STEVE Sidwell has set his sights on gunning down former club Chelsea this weekend after insisting he is striving to become the goalscoring midfielder Villa are lacking.

Sidwell has yet to score this season despite a string of half-chances and would love to open his account against his old Stamford Bridge colleagues on Saturday.

The 26-year-old found the net four times during an injury-plagued first year with Villa and is targeting double figures this term if he can keep his place in the starting line-up.

“I can score goals, it’s just getting the chances,” said Sidwell.

“I’ve been there or thereabouts this season. I’m sure when the chances come I’ll get a few goals, but I don’t want to get over-burdened with that. It’s all about being in the right place at the right time. Last year I got in some positions and perhaps should have done better.

“I think I ended up with four goals and it could have been a lot more with a bit of luck.

“I haven’t had that many chances to score this year, but hopefully once I score the first one the goals will come.”

At the start of the season Villa manager Martin O’Neill urged his midfield players to contribute more goals and challenged at least one of them to score 10.

None of the central players have scored so far this season, while wingers James Milner and Ashley Young’s goals have come from the penalty spot.

Sidwell is keen to be a regular scorer having found the net regularly at Reading but he admits he is not being made to do extra shooting practice in training.

“As midfielders the manager doesn’t get us to do extra work on our finishing or anything like that because he doesn’t want to put that extra pressure on us,” he said.

“He wants us to get up there and create chances when we can and he knows if we do that then we’ll get goals ourselves.

“I do set targets for myself. I try to get into double figures every year. I achieved that at Reading and I’m looking to do it here.

“Without the injuries last season I might have been able to get to that and if I can get a decent run in the team this season then I see no reason why it can’t be achieved.”

Sidwell has also pledged to get stuck in against a Chelsea midfield missing the injured Michael Ballack, despite totting up three yellow cards in his first four starts.

The former Arsenal apprentice makes no apologies for his combative style even though it has left him walking a disciplinary tightrope so early in the season.

“I put my tackles in and I’m a team player,” said Sidwell.

“I’ll put my head, leg or whatever into challenges whether it is in my favour or the odds are stacked against me.

“I play with my heart on my sleeve. Me, Nigel Reo-Coker and Stiliyan Petrov are combative central midfield players.

“That’s why, when we play as a three, we’re very solid and hard to break down because we all stick together and get stuck in.

“Obviously I don’t like picking up bookings but you are going to get a couple if you pride yourself on getting about and trying to win the game.”