Source: SKY_Sports
Villa making Petrov progress
Aston Villa manager Martin O'Neill believes good progress is being made regarding Stiliyan Petrov's contract talks.[LNB] The former Celtic's ace deal at Villa Park expires at the end of the 2009/10 season and O'Neill is keen for the Bulgarian to commit his long-term future to the club.[LNB]Villa's offer to Petrov has been on the table since the first half of last month and O'Neill is refusing to press the panic button despite waiting anxiously for a reply from his representatives.[LNB]Good progress"We have said all along that we want Stiliyan to stay and we are making really good progress," explained O'Neill.[LNB]"I have been delighted with him this season and he was determined to show people the real Stiliyan Petrov after a difficult start to his career at Villa."[LNB]Villa ended their winless streak with success over Hull City on Monday night and O'Neill is looking to build upon the confidence-boosting victory.[LNB]The three-point haul has maintained their two-point gap on Everton and O'Neill insists there are plenty of targets to aim for despite missing out on a top-four finish.[LNB]In contention"We have put ourselves back into fifth position," he continued. "I have never given up the feeling that we could win games.[LNB]"We know how difficult it is to break into the top four. We flirted with it for a couple of weeks this season and for the experience we can be stronger next year.[LNB]"But there is still stuff to play for this season. We want to try and surpass the number of points we ended up with last season - 60 - and try and finish in a higher position than 12 months ago."[LNB]
