Aston Villa Face Massive March Thanks to FA Cup and Carling Cup

Courtesy of reaching Wembley and the Carling Cup final against Manchester United, as well as being in the quarterfinals of the FA Cup, the Premier League have given Aston Villa a mammoth month in March.

Villa have currently played two games less than the majority of teams in the Premier League, and that will soon be three games less when they take on Championship side Reading at the Madejski Stadium in the FA Cup on Sunday.

Therefore, they will be fulfilling their league fixtures regularly throughout March by playing them in midweek.

The Villans faced a grueling February, with a total of seven matches, and now they face a similar March with six matches and possibly a seventh should the FA Cup game go to a replay.

This all stands in stark contrast to April, where Aston Villa will have no midweek matches and play only four times, which begs the question, why couldn't the Premier League have postponed some games into April?

Villa's fixture congestion is made even worse when given that monotonous statistic that under Martin O'Neill, Aston Villa have never won a game in March.

Of course, it's hoped that the Villans do win, considering they have a fantastic chance to get to another cup final at Wembley and are still on course to claim the lucrative fourth UEFA Champions League place.

It's a massive month for Aston Villa, and one will not only define their season, but perhaps also define the very status of this football club.

And it's a view shared by a fuming Martin O'Neill, who understands the potential damage such a pursuit of glory can have.

He said on the matter, "We have got no midweek games in April at the moment but something like 7,000 in March as things stand.

"I've been reminded that we haven't won a game in March since I've been here. We'll now have an opportunity every two and a half days to change that.

"Because we have played as many games as anyone else in the Premier League in the last two months, with replays and League Cup semi-finals, we asked the Premier League for a bit of help.

"We asked if we could stretch things out a little for when the weather gets a bit better and we could play some rearranged games in April.

"With the worse scenario, even if we got through the Reading tie after a replay and had to change the date of the Everton league game, there was still time in April to fit things in.

"But the Premier League want to get the fixtures in during March so we've got plenty of time to repent during April. There is no leeway for us at all."

Then again, it has been the same for Manchester United, Arsenal, Chelsea and Liverpool down the years with their chase for the Premier League title, their runs in the FA Cup, their Carling Cup finals, and of course their involvement in the latter stages of the UEFA Champions League.

Just like Scottish Premier League side Rangers found out a few seasons ago when they made it to the final of the UEFA Cup, chasing glory on all fronts can easily become a virulent prize.