Aston Villa boss Martin O'Neill is thrilled with the recent form of Marlon Harewood.

He told Villa's website: "I couldn't be more pleased with Marlon. He's made a big impact in the games where he's come on.

"I thought he did OK against Fulham when he came on in what was a pretty poor team performance, he turned the game for us at Liverpool, headed against the bar against Blackburn and on Saturday he was really excellent."

The Villa boss added: "He's becoming a bit of a cult hero with the fans. But he does the same with the players as well - he gets them pumped up in the dressing room.

"When he came on on Saturday, I thought he had a major impact on the game. He hasn't started for us in the Premier League, but I think now he really feels part of proceedings."