Aston Villa manager Martin O'Neill is demanding more goals from Emile Heskey

Nov 23 2009 by Mathew Kendrick, Birmingham Mail

EMILE Heskey has been challenged to boldly go for goals after Martin O’Neill put the England battering ram’s drought-ending equaliser at Burnley down to bravery.

Heskey finally got off the mark for the season with an 86th-minute leveller at Turf Moor to earn Villa a point following a below-par performance against the Clarets.

His header, just six minutes after coming on as a substitute, was only the 31-year-old’s third competitive goal for Villa since his £3.5 million arrival from Wigan in January.

“My viewpoint is that he can score more goals and I have said that to him before,” said O’Neill.

“The way to score goals is to get in like he did, sneak in there.

“There are goals there if you want to go bravely for it and I think he went in bravely on Saturday.

“I will not turn around and promise you that by March or April time he will have another 12 Premier League goals to his tally.

“But what I am saying is that he is capable of scoring more goals than his reputation has given him in the last seven or eight years and not just in the time with me.”

Heskey’s only two previous goals of his claret and blue career came on his winning debut at Portsmouth in January and in a home draw against West Ham in April.

O’Neill hopes it will be a turning point for the former Blues powerhouse, who feared his lack of opportunities at Villa could cost him his England World Cup place.

But the Villa boss candidly admits he is more interested in what the goal will do for Heskey’s club form rather than the burly froward’s aspirations for his country.

“He is extremely well liked by the England manager who thinks he can make opportunities for the likes of Wayne Rooney and people like that,’’ said O’Neill.

“That is encouraging, but you won’t mind if I am less concerned about that and more concerned with Aston Villa.

“It was a nice little cameo role for him, he got the goal and that is a big boost of confidence.

“He’s got the reputation of being a provider for other players to score goals.

“That’s fine, that’s okay, but I think if you’re a centre-forward you have to get your quota and that was a great boost for him. He took it very well indeed.”

Heskey was on the bench at Burnley as an understudy to Gabby Agbonlahor and John Carew after hobbling off at West Ham and missing the Bolton game.

But O’Neill believes his former Leicester protégé has benefited from a two-week rest after being excused England duty against Brazil because of his back problem.

“He played against West Ham and came off at half time,” added O’Neill.

“He wasn’t fit enough to be part of proceedings at all against Bolton, but he’s had that extra fortnight.

“He wasn’t called up by England because of the injury and he trained all week, so he didn’t feel too bad.

“We played particularly well against Bolton.

“He has been fine within himself. He knew when he arrived last January there would be competition for places with Agbonlahor and Carew.”