Lambert aware of threat posed by City having ‘nothing to lose’

Villa have experienced mixed fortunes so far in what is a transitional first season under Lambert, with top-flight experience at a premium in the Scot’s squad.

The starting line-up against Swansea recently had an average age of just 23 years and 120 days with a number of players having been brought through the academy or recruited from the lower leagues.

They currently sit two places and one point above the Premier League relegation zone, but there remains a feel-good factor around Villa Park, not least with the team in the FA Cup fourth round and two matches away from a possible place in the Capital One Cup final.

They meet Bradford City at Valley Parade in the first leg of that semi-final tonight knowing they are heavy favourites to overcome the League Two outfit. Regardless of the level of opposition, though, Lambert knows reaching the final would be huge for the club.

“For this club to get to Wembley again would be extraordinary,” he said. “In a one-off game there you just never know what could happen.

“To get there I think every player would tell you would be absolutely phenomenal.”

Asked whether it would surpass any of his previous achievements, the former Scotland international said: “I think it would, yes.

“I never view it as any great achievement on my own behalf. It’s the players and the fans. I never really look at myself and think ‘I’m going to do that’ because it is irrelevant. The important thing is what happens to this club and the players.”

Bradford are without a win in their last three games, but Lambert said. “It will be a different team to the one that got beaten by Barnet at the weekend. You have to withstand that and be ready for it.

“The Bradford lads will give it everything they have got to try to turn us over.

“If we do what we have been doing of late and match that then we’ll see what happens.

“It’s always tough. Bradford have got nothing to lose and everything to gain. Obviously it is a two-legged affair. We’ll go up there and we know it will be a really good atmosphere.

“I’ve been up there before and it will be a tough game for us. But if we play we have been of late, we’ll see.”

Saturday’s 2-1 win over Ipswich in the FA Cup third round saw the return from injury of established stars Darren Bent, Charles N’Zogbia and Gabriel Agbonlahor and Lambert admits their progress was just as pleasing as the victory.