Monday Mar 10 2008 11:55
Aston Villa boss Martin O'Neill has backed Gabriel Agbonlahor to end his recent goal drought ahead of Wednesday's clash with Middlesbrough.
The 21-year-old forward has found the net only once in the last four months, but O'Neill doesn't believe Agbonlahor is suffering from a crisis of confidence.
The former England Under-21 striker's last goal came in a 2-1 win at Wigan Athletic on December 29.
"Confidence in football is what it's all about and it can make or break you. It can come and go minute by minute, never mind game by game," O'Neill claimed.
"Players need goals and every centre-forward would say the same, but some players are very confident regardless of what else is happening and Gabby is one of them.
"I think he's been fantastic for us and he's at the top of his game at the moment and improving all the time which is great for him and Aston Villa."
Meanwhile, O'Neill has backed his sixth-placed side to secure European football next season.
"We've got ourselves into a decent position with ten matches to go," he continued. "We've just got to go and try and push on or stay with it and make it really interesting.
"We're definitely a much better side than this time last year.
"Although we have the smallest squad in the Premier League, apart from Easter time, we're down to one game per week and we should be able to cope with it.
"If the players show the same kind of attitude as they've been generally showing, then we'll be fine."
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