Stephen Ireland is targeting a new deal with Aston Villa.

Settled at Villa, the midfielder admits that under manager Paul Lambert he is finally "getting a fair crack at things" - and he hopes his displays can earn him a new deal.

He told the Mirror: "I still have 18 months on my contract left. I'm hoping my performances will get me a sit down.

"We haven't had any sit down or chat yet but it's obviously ­understandable as it's still early days."