Birmingham Mail: MARTIN O'Neill today came out fighting and insisted he will not allow his players to throw away their good work this season. And the Villa boss put his neck on the line by promising his side will catch their UEFA Cup rivals. Villa have slumped to seventh in the table behind InterToto competitors Portsmouth after a dismal week, and Everton remain seven points clear with only eight games remaining in the hunt for the last UEFA Cup place. They may look to have a fruitless pursuit ahead but O'Neill is confident Villa have the ability to overhaul Pompey and David Moyes' side. "It would be pointless to come this far and now decide to down tools," said O'Neill. "It would be just too easy to give up, so we must press on. We must get back to it. "Saturday was doubly disappointing because we lost and our near neighbours, in terms of league position, Portsmouth have gone above us by a point. "We've got to catch up again and my own belief is we will because we have ability in the side and we're capable of doing it. "We've got points to play for and, honestly, I'm telling you we'll go for it."

Birmingham Mail: CRAIG Gardner was due back in training for Villa today and ready to go straight into the side against Sunderland. The 21-year-old missed the defeat at Portsmouth with a back injury that had forced him off at half-time against Middlesbrough. His return to fitness is good timing for Villa boss Martin O'Neill, who will be without suspended Olof Mellberg following his two bookings at Fratton Park. O'Neill said today: "Craig is okay. With a bit of luck he might train today. "Freddie Bouma got kicked at Portsmouth but will be fine and Gabby Agbonlahor, who has a sore foot, should also train. "Craig was really sore on Friday and it would be unlike Craig, as he does not want to miss many games. "His back had seized up at half-time against Boro."

Birmingham Mail: PORTO president Pinto da Costa has revealed they turned down a bid from Aston Villa for right-back Jose Boswinga. Despite Boswinga's stance some weeks ago that he might now fancy a dart at the Premier League, da Costa has reiterated he has no intention of selling any of his players. "We are not thinking about losing any of our players next season,'' he said. "In the past year, Aston Villa revealed themselves to be an interested party but we did not accept the proposal. "He is another of the players we intend to keep." That is unlikely to deter Villa boss Martin O'Neill, who will, nevertheless, face stiff competition for the speedy defender.

Birmingham Mail: Stephen O'Halloran and Jonathan Hogg have flown to America to see much-respected specialist Richard Steadman. They face lengthy lay-offs after sustaining knee injuries earlier this month. O'Halloran damaged his cruciate ligaments while on loan at Leeds and Hogg also damaged ligaments in the reserves' defeat at Spurs on March 3. O'Halloran said: "Hopefully everything will go well and then I can start working towards a return."

Express and Star: Martin O'Neill has backed Gabriel Agbonlahor to rediscover his goal touch to fire Villa into Europe. Agbonlahor hasn't scored this year and has gone 10 league games without a goal since hitting his seventh of the season at Wigan on December 29. The 21-year-old, who is set to keep his place in Fabio Capello's England squad for next week's friendly against France, also missed a sitter in Saturday's 2-0 defeat at Portsmouth. But he has continued to wreak havoc for the opposition, setting up a goal at Arsenal and numerous other chances and boss O'Neill is convinced he will return to goalscoring form. "All strikers might like to think they will score every second or third game," said O'Neill. "But with Gabby, it's the work he's done for us throughout - look at the amount of times he's dropped back and played wide right for instance. "I'm not talking about individuals, but genuinely, we can pull this around."

Express and Star: Villa are running the rule over Wolves keeper Wayne Hennessey as they explore goalkeeping options for next season. The Welsh No 1 has caught the eye of Wolves' Premier League neighbours and they have kept a regular watching brief. Villa need to look at their options as Scott Carson is on loan from Liverpool until the end of the season. Hennessey only signed a new contract this season and could cost £5m-£6m, which would dwarf the £2m Villa were going to pay for Chivas USA's Brad Guzan in January. But it would be far less than the £10m they would have to splash out for Carson. Any move may hinge on the fitness of Molineux No 1 Matt Murray, who is currently recovering from a cruciate knee ligament injury.

Express and Star: Villa utility man Craig Gardner will be fit to replace the suspended Olof Mellberg for the visit of Sunderland on Saturday. Gardner missed the defeat at Portsmouth with a back injury sustained against Middlesbrough but was set to train again today. "Craig will be alright," said boss Martin O'Neill today. "On Friday, he was really sore - his back had seized up But it would be unlike him to miss any games. "He hurt it against Middlesbrough and had to come off at half-time. "With luck he might train today. Him, Freddie and Gabby, who has a sore foot, were going to train. "Freddie was limping towards the end of the Portsmouth game with a foot or ankle injury. "I've been really pleased with him. He's a midfielder but there's nothing to prevent him thinking he can play in that position."

Sky Sports: Martin O'Neill feels that Aston Villa's season will have been a disappointment if they miss out on European qualification. They currently sit seven points behind fifth-placed Everton, and a guaranteed Uefa Cup berth, but sixth spot could still prove to be enough if Portsmouth go on to win the FA Cup. With that in mind, O'Neill is keen to see a reversal in fortunes for his side after draws with Arsenal and Middlesbrough and a defeat to Portsmouth in their last three Premier League outings. They face struggling Sunderland at Villa Park on Saturday and the former Celtic boss is hoping that the home support will help to create an atmosphere which will spur the players on to victory. "Despite the fact we didn't play well last Wednesday (at home to Middlesbrough), I really look forward to the games at Villa Park," O'Neill told Villa's official website. "In the second half against Newcastle (on 9th February) we created the sort of atmosphere that we've had regularly this season, so there's no stopping us. "It was doubly disappointing because we lost (on Saturday) and Portsmouth went above us by a point. We've got to catch up again and my own belief is we will. "It's really disappointing because we have the ability in the side and we're capable of doing it."

Sky Sports: Aston Villa manager Martin O'Neill insists he is not going to criticise Gabriel Agbonlahor, despite the striker's ongoing goal drought. Agbonlahor has not netted for Villa since the 2-1 victory over Wigan on 29th December - a run of 10 games without a goal. And O'Neill has previously admitted that the lack of goals in 2008 could be affecting Agbonlahor's confidence O'Neill, though, is adamant he will not be dropping the forward - who impressed in the 1-1 draw away to Arsenal on 1st March - as Villa chase a place in Europe. "Gabby Agbonlahor is the last player in the world I will be sitting down and criticising," O'Neill told Villa's official website. "A fortnight ago at Arsenal he was incredible and he ran Arsenal ragged. "The only thing about it, and he shouldn't get down, is that I know centre-forwards have it in the back of their minds that they want to score a goal or two."

Setanta Sports: Scott Carson has received the backing of Martin Laursen after his nightmare display against Portsmouth on Saturday. Aston Villa lost 2-0 with Carson at fault for both goals, finding himself in no-man's land for Jermain Defoe's opener, before rushing from his line to clatter the ball into Nigel Reo-Coker for a comedy second. Laursen was visibly upset with Carson's positioning for the first goal, but he has stood behind the on-loan keeper - insisting he has proved in the past that he can bounce back. "Scott will put this behind him. It is a tough business and as our goalkeeper he will be in the spotlight now," Laursen said on Villa's official website.