Villa had been touted as relegation contenders before Easter; now they can consider their future a little more brightly.
There is still work to be done, but Aston Villa should consider their survival battle over as quickly as it begun.
Their two draws against Liverpool and Stoke could both so easily have been wins, and will each have left fans feeling a little deflated after being pegged back in both encounters.
Even so, they now sit on 35 points, six clear of their nearest challenger in 16th place.
Villa could have been legitimate relegation contenders, and were looking like it after back-to-back defeats to Arsenal and Chelsea at a perilous stage of the season.
Two points from four games is a poor return, but in this case it should be adequate for the club.
Had they come out of the Easter period losing both games, fans should really have been worried.
Even their two draws may not have been enough if the clubs below them had made any ground.
As it was, Bolton have hit back-to-back losses, while Wigan lost to Chelsea and are not expected to get anything against Manchester United tomorrow night.
Blackburn may have some success at home to Liverpool tonight, while QPR face a tough encounter against surprise package Swansea.
Even if one of these teams gets a win, for Villa to be dragged down into the mire, they would need almost all of them to haul themselves upwards.
In the first round of games over Easter, every single one of them lost, meaning Villa actually gained a point on each of them.
They should thank young Austrian Andreas Weimann for their position.
The striker has scored two goals for Villa since being given a chance through Darren Bent’s injury, and they have both been important ones.
The first converted one point into three via his last minute winner against Fulham, and his second gave the club a point against Stoke yesterday.
Without his goals, and the three points they have earned, Villa’s three points would be 32, and they would be right in the relegation mix.
As it is, they should have just enough, despite two tough upcoming games against Manchester United and Sunderland.
Even if they lose them both, they have the chance to banish negative thoughts entirely when they face Bolton a week after, the game in hand they have.
Through their rivals ineptitude, and their ability to do just about enough, Aston Villa should be safe this season.
Do you agree or do you believe Villa are still in the relegation scrap?
image: © Ben Sutherland
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