By Graham Hill
DEAN Smith admits his play-off chasing side can barely afford to drop a single point between now and the end of the season if they are to come from the pack and win promotion.
Villa face Middlesbrough on Saturday knowing that a win would take them into the top six and give their promotion hopes a huge shot in the arm.
And Smith knows they must be looking to come on top in every one of their remaining nine games.
Smith said: “I hope there’s some momentum.
“It’s very important to be winning games in March, April and May.
“We’re hoping that we haven’t given ourselves too much to do with the points we dropped in January.
“We have to move forward and look ahead now.
“There’s nine games to go, we need three points in each game.
“The results and performances have given us that confidence.”
Smith also knows that taking points off the teams above you is crucial.
He said: “We’ve got to catch those teams.
“We have to put on a really good performance and beat them.“They’ve got some really good players there.
“They’ve put in good performances against the teams they’ve lost to.
“We have to make sure we’re not complacent.”
Villa Roar 