O'Neill delighted to pinch points

Gabriel Agbonlahor headed in from close range in the 85th minute to give Villa a third successive win and lift them up to sixth in the Premier League. "It was a game of very few chances and it looked as if it was heading for stalemate," admitted O'Neill. "But we have players capable of scoring goals and it was a terrific goal for us. "I'm delighted we have won the game. It was a hard-fought match and we had some half-chances but I thought we might create a few more. "In the second half we looked as if we were in reasonable control without exerting an enormous amount of pressure. "The points are very important to us. That is three consecutive wins in the Premier League after a disappointing start." O'Neill was also pleased with a clean sheet after selecting three defenders - Richard Dunne, James Collins and Stephen Warnock - for their debuts. "The great thing is we have been able to get some players in and all three making debuts were splendid," he told Sky Sports News. "The players know we will change things around sometimes week upon week and try to learn a lesson from last year when, from February onwards, we maybe just ran out of steam - but it is far too early to talk about running out of steam." Birmingham boss Alex McLeish labelled Villa's late win as a "harsh" result but admitted his side need to find a way of dealing with set-pieces. "It is harsh result," he said. "There is no doubt about that. We played really well and got about Villa. "I don't think we allowed them to play at all today. We nullified the threat of Agbonlahor and Young. "The difference between us and Villa, in financial clout and quality, is a big gulf but it didn't look like it today. "Their goal was a free header and we have just got to deal with those balls. Roger Johnson was fantastic today but Carew slipped his grasp. But then we have to defend the second ball and that's often the one that kills you. "Players switch off and turn and watch the ball. Agbonlahor turned and slipped his man. We have still got to defend it whether it was a free-kick or not. "We have got to be really vigilant in these situations. The Premier League is about concentration, pace and quality and concentration undid us a little bit. "We need to pick up points. We are creating chances but we are not putting them in the back of the net. That is costly. But overall I am pleased with the quality we have shown."

Source: Team_Talk