Ciaran Clark: 'Aston Villa is a learning curve'

Aston Villa defender Ciaran Clark has revealed that the club's current plight is giving him plenty of chances to improve as a player.

Villa find themselves perched perilously in 17th position in the Premier League table, just three points clear of Wigan in 18th having played a game more.

Despite being just 23, Clark is one of the more experienced players in the Villa lineup, but he admits that he is still learning after every game for the club.

"I am still only 23 and I am still learning my trade. Although I am one of the more experienced lads at Villa, I am still only 23, like I said, and each day in training and each game, I am always trying to learn," said Clark.

"Whether there are mistakes made or you have had a good performance, you need to try to forget about it quickly and learn from it and move on and concentrate on the next games. But I am hoping it will stand me in good stead for the future and I will keep improving as a player.

"The last two weeks, we have had some good results. It's always nice to come away after having two good results like that. It would have been a lot tougher if we had come away knowing we had lost two games. It's always a big confidence boost when you have won two games like that."

Clark is currently training with the Republic of Ireland team ahead of their World Cup qualifiers against Sweden and Austria.