Aston Villa manager David O'Leary is proud of the attacking beliefs that he insists have marked his team out as seemingly one of the country's top attractions.

Until this season's slight fall in gates, mirroring the general nationwide trend of declining attendances, O'Leary's arrival in the summer of 2003 had coincided with Villa enjoying their best crowds in two decades.

And, in contrast to some of the more negative systems used elsewhere in the Premiership, O'Leary claims his more cavalier approach not only pulls in the crowds, but also gets results.

It did both in dramatic style at the Causeway on Tuesday night, when ( outside of two-leg fixtures), Villa claimed their best win in 43 years, remarkably coming back from 3-1 down to hit Wycombe Wanderers with seven second-half goals.

"I've seen certain systems that other teams play and I can't speak for them," said O'Leary. "But what I can take care of is my team and what I preach and what I believe in.

"I like to think when people have come and seen us play they go away and say they've seen good football. I believe in an attacking style of play, of moving the ball well and passing it well.

" Anybody who ' s watched us knows that it's no coincidence that, for the last two years since I've been at Villa, the crowds have been the highest in 20 years.

"People tell me our televised game on Saturday against Spurs was the most entertaining they've seen this season and we'll take the same attitude to Chelsea on Saturday. We'll go there and play the football we believe in, take the game to Chelsea and give it our best shot."

It should prove a little more difficult breaking down a Chelsea side who are yet to concede a Premiership goal this season than it was running eight goals past Wycombe, especially for a Villa side who have won just one of their last 11 Premiership games in a run of poor form stretching back to the end of last season.

But, after the volley of criticism Premiership football has recently come in for, O'Leary was delighted with the way his team not only battled back, but also triumphed in the right manner.

"I know my team," he said. "I know the way we play and that we create a lot of chances and I knew that, if we defended right in the second half, that Tuesday night's game was still within our grasp.

"We had a young back four out, with Martin Laursen, Olof Mellberg and Wilfred Bouma all missing but although we might not have the best individuals, we work on people in training and try to play in a certain way.

"We believe in the ability to pass the ball. It's no good just lumping it. We stuck to our beliefs and that's why we came through."