Final appearance can remove negativity at Villa – Fox

After a difficult season on and off the field, Aston Villa chief executive Tom Fox believes an FA Cup final appearance will bring a new air of positivity to the club.

Villa have toiled in the Premier League for large parts of the season, although the arrival of Tim Sherwood in February has seen them move four points clear of danger.

Owner Randy Lerner’s desire to sell the club has been well publicised, but Sunday’s 2-1 semi-final victory over Liverpool at Wembley saw Villa into a first FA Cup final in 15 years – with holders Arsenal their opponents on May 30.

“This is something which can create a positive atmosphere and blows through the negativity and clears it out,” Fox said.

“I hope it is the beginning of something great. If we play the way we played on Sunday I think we’ll have a chance.

“Here we are heading into a final with another great club. That’s the company Villa needs to keep and hopefully where we can put the club.

“We have a lot of work to do, I have been very honest about that. We have a lot of work to do to put the club back into a place where this is a thing we can do on a much more regular basis.”