Devine intervention

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Aston Villa’s Daniel Devine insists all of the pressure will be on Chelsea ahead of next Tuesday’s FA Youth Cup Final second leg.

The big defender opened the scoring at Villa Park on Thursday to put his side in the driving seat only to see a Jeffrey Bruma free-kick bring the Londoners back level and set up a finely poised game at Stamford Bridge.

Whilst many will see Dermot Drummy’s Blues as the favourites to now go on and win The Cup for the first time since 1961, Devine believes that Villa can frustrate their opponents and see what happens.

“We’ll go there with confidence, all of the pressure is on them now,” said the Irishman.

“They’re Chelsea, and everyone will be expecting them to win the game. We can just go there, give it our all and try to get the right result.

“They’re a very good attacking team with some good players throughout their team, but I thought we did well and stuck together and keep them quiet.”

The goal was Devine’s second of the competition, after he previously netted a crucial goal against Fulham in their Sixth Round tie but in typically modest style, he put it down to simply being in the right place at the right time.

“It was a good ball into the box from Richard Blythe and I just managed to get my head on it,” he said. “The keeper was off his line, so it just dropped over him and in. I was just in the right place really, so I got lucky in that sense.

“It’s going to be another excellent experience for us all again at Stamford Bridge now. The atmosphere will be hard to beat, that’s for sure, and there will probably be a big crowd cheering them on.”