Gabriel Agbonlahor feels Aston Villa’s young guns have “stepped up to the plate” to help drive the team towards Barclays Premier League safety.
Paul Lambert returned to haunt his former club yesterday to leave Carrow Road with a crucial victory after Agbonlahor’s second-half brace, the winger rolling in the winning goal in the last minute to push Villa up to 40 points and leave Norwich hovering just above the drop zone.
Lambert has long championed his faith in youth as he looks to rebuild the squad – a philosophy which had looked misplaced earlier in the season following a 5-0 thrashing at Manchester City, then shipping eight at Chelsea, four at Tottenham on Boxing Day and losing 3-0 at home to Wigan on December 29.
Agbonlahor, though, feels if the team can secure top-flight football again, then the trials of this campaign will stand them in good stead.
“The young lads have come through. They have had some bad things said about them when things were not going too well, but they had stood up to the plate and performed week in, week out, and tried their hardest to improve and they are improving game by game,” he said.
“Hopefully if we can get this season out of the way you will see more improvement next season.
“They have had a lot of pressure on them and great credit to them they’ve stuck at it, carried on playing and fighting in big games.
“They have not crumbled and game by game they are improving.
“They have come back from games like at Chelsea, and long may it continue.”
Agbonlahor broke Dwight Yorke’s Premier League scoring record in the 6-1 win over Sunderland on Monday night.
The consistency of the 26-year-old has prompted calls for a return to the England set-up.
However, for now, club matters are all that are on Agbonlahor’s mind.
“It is hard to say if I am playing as well now as I was when I was called up,” he said.
“Playing for England is always a pleasure – but the main thing for me is playing for Villa and keeping fit, because I have had a few knocks this season, so I am not really worrying about England at the moment.”
Lambert had guided Norwich to successive promotions from npower League One and then kept them in the Premier League before an acrimonious departure last summer.
The Scotsman is confident if Villa continue their work ethic over the final two matches against Chelsea and fellow relegation-battlers Wigan on the final day, then the reward will come.
“There are a lot of teams who are not safe. We are playing ever so well at the minute and that’s all you can ask for, but you are never safe until you have actually done it,” Lambert said.
“You have just got to be resolute in what you are doing and have the belief in them that they can do it.
“There is a lot of pressure at the football club because of the size of it, it is a massive club with a massive fan base and the history tells you that there is a lot of expectation, but that is something you revel in.
“It is not something I am going to get over-worked about.
“I have got a great rapport with the people at the football club and with the supporters, which is vital.
“They have stuck by us in really hard times and hopefully they are getting a little bit of joy from what’s happening now.”
Lambert added: “You have to keep building and not rest on things. You can see a team that is growing together, and the fans have been outstanding.
“If we keep it going, we have always got a chance.”