Europe not everything for O'Neill
Aston Villa manager Martin O'Neill has warned there are still no guarantees that the club's most promising season in years will end with European qualification.
Villa have their eyes on a Champions League spot following a 2-1 victory at Reading that was far more comprehensive than the scoreline suggests.
"My own view on the possibility of a Champions League spot is that we might not even qualify for Europe, but that wouldn't stop it being a decent season for us," said O'Neill.
Villa's win left them sixth but took them level on 47 points with fourth-placed Liverpool and Everton in fifth, with the Toffees taking on another club in European contention, Manchester City, on Monday.
Twelve years have passed since Villa finished as high as fourth, but should they end up missing out on even the UEFA Cup, O'Neill insisted it would still be a season to cherish.
He said: "We are in contention and there are four or five sides who are separated by virtually nothing.
"We have got to press on and this win should give us a big lift in terms of confidence. We spurned an opportunity a couple of weeks ago against Fulham even though we didn't play poorly and were in the lead. But although we conceded late on there was a resilience about our play against Reading."
