Aston Villa defender Curtis Davies is happy to see youngster Ciaran Clark grabbing his chance this season.

Clark was awarded his first start as a replacement for Davies in last month's Premier League victory over Fulham and Davies was full of praise for his young deputy.

"He looked like he'd played at that standard before," Davies told the Birmingham Mail.

"You wouldn't have thought that was his Premier League debut or his competitive professional football debut, full stop.

"He stepped in at the last minute and did an absolutely fantastic job. But Ciaran showed that in pre-season. That's what he's got. He's unfortunate that we have bought in the two new centre halves because Ciaran could be knocking on the door for a few more games.

''Hopefully, if he does well, he can get in with a sniff for a few games and if not, he can go on loan and keep his experience going."