Friday 18 September 2015 13:42, UK
Aston Villa boss Tim Sherwood is hoping Saturday's match against West Brom will kick-start the team's campaign.
Villa beat their Midlands rivals twice in five days at Villa Park in early March last season to help them avoid relegation from the Premier League and progress towards the FA Cup final.
Sherwood's side opened the season with a 1-0 victory at Bournemouth, and they also earned a draw against Sunderland, but they have lost their three other league games at home to Manchester United and away to Crystal Palace and Leicester.
Apart from last week's capitulation at Leicester, when Villa lost 3-2 after leading 2-0, Sherwood insists he has been happy with the team's performances.
And Sherwood has fond memories of the double-header with Albion, which resulted in a memorable finish to last season.
"We won both of them, it took us further in the FA Cup and earned a vital three points in the Premier League, and that's what we want on Saturday," Sherwood said.
"It was a platform for us to move on from last season and we hope that is the case now. We've been in every game, we've lost every game by the odd goal and we haven't got what we deserved points-tally wise but it will level out in the end.
"We've got a really positive mind-set here and we know we are going in the right direction. We've gradually improved our performances."
Sherwood has urged the club's supporters to keep emotions in check regardless of the outcome against Albion.
West Brom's Claudio Yacob and Villa's Jack Grealish were dismissed in last season's double-header, while home fans twice invaded the pitch.
Villa were eventually fined £200,000 and seats were also reportedly thrown from the Albion section, while Sherwood's counterpart Tony Pulis claimed he feared for his players' safety during the invasion.
But Sherwood wants supporters to stay in their seats regardless of which side wins the game this weekend.
He said: "We're delighted with the support they give this football club but it can done from their seats.
"But make sure you stay off the pitch. I just hope you get tempted to jump on it because that means we've done something right."
Sherwood added: "I hear a lot of managers say it is just another game. It is not actually. It means a lot more than that, it is local pride, bragging rights.
"We have to make sure we do it for our fans and ourselves."
