There are probably many reasons why Eric Djemba-Djemba has proved to be one of the worst transfer flops in West Midlands football history.

But the main one, a mere slip of a boy from Ballymena called Steven Davis, is alive and well and occupying a vital role in the Aston Villa midfield.

Davis's form since making his first start only 15 months ago has been one of the highlights of David O'Leary's reign of two and a half years.

Perhaps uncertainty over whether Davis would succeed hastened the questionable £1.3million signing of the erratic Frenchman but O'Leary's mind surely must be made up now.

Perhaps the key to Davis's consistency has been this polite, well-raised young Ulsterman's modest refusal to accept that he is a Villa star - never mind a first-team fixture.

"The shirt's never really yours," Davis said. "You have to perform week in, week out or the manager will put someone else in there.

"It's just a case of working hard day by day in training and playing well each week.

"I was lucky to get in as we had a few injuries last season.

"You just have to try to do your best and thankfully I did quite well, and the manager gave me a good run towards the end of the season which definitely helped.

"It's easy enough for the manager to pick the most experienced players but he's made no secret of the fact that he's prepared to give the youngsters a chance like myself.

"After last season, my aim from the very first game was to play in as many as possible this year and now I'm just looking to stay fit enough to play in every game between now and the end of the season."

An impressive haul of seven goals from midfield in his first full campaign was enough to earn a much-improved three-and-a-half-year contract. But there has been no resting on his laurels.

Apart from missing the two Newcastle United games, one for a much-needed breather and one with a slight injury, Davis has been an ever-present. He remains keen to improve his goal tally.

His season's goal tally started counting from the ninth minute of this season when he scored the final goal of a strange 2-2 draw against Bolton Wanderers. But, before tomorrow's match against Charlton Athletic at The Valley, he does not take much reminding of his best effort - against Charlton last November, the only goal of the game in Villa's 1-0 win.

"It was a good goal," he says, adding with a proud grin, "left foot as well.

"I've managed to get a few, although they've dried up a bit recently. And I'm looking to get a few more between now and May.

"But the main thing about that one against Charlton was that it got us the three points."

It would be handy timing if Davis could repeat the feat at The Valley, against a Charlton side only just above them in the table.

Although Alan Curbishley's Addicks have slipped from the early-season Premiership pedestal, Davis knows all too well from last season's result at The Valley that it is a tough place to go to.

He said: "We lost 3-0 there last year, so we've got to improve on that. We've got to get in and around them, and hassle them into creating chances for ourselves.

"But our away form has been good this season so we've just got to make that continue.

"It's our home form that has let us down. Only three home wins all season isn't good enough."

Davis says that the lack of any real passion generated by a half-ful Villa Park was a factor in the team's poor first-half performance in last Sunday night's ultimately show-stopping FA Cup clash with Manchester City. But he also says that it's in the Villa players' own hands to change it.

"When the crowd are getting behind you, it's a full house and there's a real buzz about the place, it really lifts the players," he said. "But, to be fair, we haven't really been producing the goods." ..SUPL: