• O’Neill says team will go for win against Blackburn Rovers
• Villa hold 1-0 advantage in hunt for first trophy since 1996

As the holder of a law degree, Martin O’Neill is no stranger to making a case for the defence. As he prepares to try and take Aston Villa to their first Wembley final since the FA Cup in 2000, he has responded to the barrack-room lawyers who sat in frustrated judgment behind the Villa Park dug-out at the failure to defeat West Ham United on Sunday.

O’Neill has been harbouring a sense of indignation at a small minority of truculent supporters after an exchange of words at the final whistle of the goalless draw. But Villa’s manager expects those disgruntled critics to be forming part of the queue for Carling Cup final tickets to see the best footballing team the club has assembled for the past two decades in next month’s