Lambert praises Aston Villa resilience without injured key men

Aston Villa manager Paul Lambert praised the resilience of his side after battling to a 1-1 draw with second-placed Southampton in his 100th game in charge, despite feeling the absence of a number of key stars.

Defensive trio Ron Vlaar, Nathan Baker and Philippe Senderos are all sidelined with injury, while the likes of top striker Christian Benteke and Fabian Delph are also out.

Villa have struggled to find the net this season but took the lead against a flat Saints side when a charging Gabriel Agbonlahor nicked the ball past onrushing goalkeeper Fraser Forster.

However, Southampton were by far the more dominant force throughout the clash and eventually their persistence paid off when Nathaniel Clyne netted with nine minutes left to claim a point.

It was another game without victory for Paul Lambert, whose side are now eight games without a win, but the Scot was pleased with their stubborn display.

He said: "I thought we played well. We had six players out - three centre-backs and Benteke's out, Baker and Delph are out - big players for this club and it's a lot to carry.

"The two centre-backs, the young ones were outstanding. Jores [Okore - thrown in for his first appearance of the season] has been out for 14 months and I thought he was fantastic. I thought Ciaran [Clark], grew up tonight and took the lead role and he was outstanding.

"I thought Gabby [Agbonlahor] was a threat the whole night too."

Villa have battled relegation for the past four seasons, two under Lambert, while Monday night’s point made it back-to-back draws following six consecutive defeats in the league.

The side are just two points above the bottom three, but, when asked of any added pressure, the boss: "I've dealt with pressure all my life really through being a football and being in management - it's part and parcel of the game.

“It's a great job, you have problems and the secret is to find the solution. That's the secret.

"It's a key period from now until May. Every weekend we play is a challenge, but it's a challenge we have to rise to."

Source : talksport[dot]com