O'Neill pleased with Downing bow

Downing: Made Villa debut

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Aston Villa manager Martin O'Neill was delighted to see Stewart Downing make his debut for the club.

The left winger made his Villa bow at Turf Moor on Saturday, coming on in the 70th minute of the 1-1 draw against Burnley in the Premier League.

The £12million signing from Middlesbrough had been out since breaking a bone in his foot last May, and although O'Neill admitted there is a long way to go in his recovery, he was delighted to see the England international on the pitch

"Just to get on the field of play is a very positive sign for him," he said.

"It might still be a bit too early as, in terms of proper fitness, it will be hard for him at the moment because of the amount of football he has not played.

"I'll be the first to tell you he is not entirely fit but he has been desperate to be involved with us.

"He will benefit from that (run out) and he can only improve from there.

"He's a very decent player, he's played a number of times for England and he can play.

"But I think if he stays clear of injury we'll see the best of him from Christmas onwards."

Villa grabbed a point at Turf Moor thanks to a late goal from big striker Emile Heskey.

It was the forward's first effort of the season and O'Neill believes the header will give Heskey confidence to push on and hit form.

"He needs to keep the fire burning and score a few goals," he added.

"That will be a huge boost to him."

Villa's next game is against fellow UEFA Champions League hopefuls Tottenham in the Premier League next Saturday.