Aston Villa boss Martin O'Neill hailed their away fans after Sunday's FA Cup win at Reading.

O'Neill insists the players were determined to reward loyal supporters who paid good money to go and cheer on the team in two massive clashes.

He told Villa's website: "I thought they were fantastic, absolutely fantastic.

"At 2-0 down they were still cheering us on.

"The fans didn't give up - so why should the players?

"The one thing you didn't want was to go out meekly in front of fans who had turned up and spent a lot of money at Wembley and a lot of money to go to Reading to come and support the team."

Goal hero Ashley Young was also quick to praise the Villa fans for their terrific support.

He continued: "I've always said the fans have been brilliant. They were the 12th man against Reading. They have been like that since the start of the season. They have been fantastic.

"We just want to do well on the pitch and give them good days out."