Stephen Warnock wants Aston Villa to strike fear into hearts of opponents

Oct 21 2009 by Lisa Smith, Birmingham Mail

STEPHEN Warnock believes Villa have the fear factor and must now learn to strike it into the hearts of all their opponents.

Villa have proved they can compete with the big guns but have struggled against less glamorous clubs so far and, with Premier League new boys Wolves up next, Warnock says it is vital they win to continue their ambitions of Champions League football.

The defender, who came to Villa Park in a £6 million move from Blackburn, has seen his new side defeat Liverpool and Chelsea and take a share of the spoils from Manchester City.

But defeats against Wigan and his former club have shown some inconsistencies.

“It is all very well taking points off the top sides but we have to learn to beat the others,” he said.

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“Beating the top sides sends out a serious message that we are a force to be reckoned with, but then we have the flip side of it where we have had those couple of defeats.

“These are the games we need to win as well to prove we are a real force and hopefully we can prove that in the coming weeks.”

Warnock and his team-mates make the short trip to face Mick McCarthy’s Wolves on Saturday in what will be a tough test as they try to overcome a team looking for some consistency themselves this season.