Birmingham Mail: Paul Lambert has welcome Villa's lower league recruits by giving them Premier League pep talks, telling them: "It's the same-sized ball you're used to." Ashley Westwood revealed the manager had told him to play his natural game and take his top-flight elevation in his stride.

Birmingham Mail: Gareth Barry prays for the day Stiliyan Petrov makes a full recovery from cancer so that the close friends can enjoy a "right good midfield battle" again. Barry was among a host of Petrov's current and former team-mates were back at Villa Park for a charity dinner in the stricken captain's honour last night.

Birmingham Mail: Daniel Devine capped a fine performance by scoring two goals that should have bought victory for Villa at Bodymoor Heath. But just as five days earlier when they conceded late on to draw against the Saints, so this time they were pegged back by a leveller in added time.

Daily Star: Stiliyan Petrov has gone public for the first time and confirmed he is in remission from acute leukaemia. The Aston Villa star spoke after the club's masseurs Alex Butler and Andy Smith completed a 400-mile cycle ride aimed at raising £250,000 for Leukaemia and Lymphoma Research.

The Sun: Stiliyan Petrov says he is "heading in the right direction" now his acute leukaemia is in remission. The Aston Villa captain was diagnosed with the illness in March but was told last month that he is on the road to recovery.

*The extracts on this page are taken from various newspapers and media outlets. They do not necessarily reflect the views of Aston Villa.