CAPTAIN Stiliyan Petrov has bluntly admitted that he doesn’t “care about the FA Cup” while Villa are fighting for their Premier League lives.

Petrov led the claret and blues out at Wembley for last April’s semi-final defeat to Chelsea and was a Scottish FA Cup winner with Celtic.

But the claret and blue skipper insists domestic football’s top knockout competition is a secondary concern now Villa are in the bottom three.

However, Villa will treat the tournament and tomorrow’s hosts with respect despite league points being their pressing priority.

Speaking ahead of the third round trip to Bramall Lane, Petrov admitted: “I will take staying in the Premier League where we are at the moment, I won’t even care about the cup, I am sorry to say that.

“We have 17 games to go and we hope in the end we will be where we are trying to be, which is in the Premier League. From now on it is going to be a long and hard fight, but we are up for it, we don’t run from it.”

Petrov was shocked by the “sacked in the morning” chants aimed at under-pressure manager Gerard Houllier following Wednesday’s defeat against Sunderland.

But the Bulgarian insists it is the players’ responsibility to transform a season which has now seen Villa dragged into the relegation places.

“We understand the fans’ frustration,” said Petrov. “It is normal they want to come here and see a successful team. We need to change their minds. Only we can turn it around nobody else.

“I haven’t heard that (anti-Houllier) chants in my career since I have been playing.

“But in the position we are in they have the right to say whatever they want.