Paul Lambert keen to avoid final day relegation

Aston Villa manager Paul Lambert has expressed his eagerness to avoid heading into the final day of the season with the club's future undecided.

The Villans moved five points clear of the drop zone on Monday night after thrashing relegation rivals Sunderland 6-1 at Villa Park.

The Midlanders face Norwich City and Chelsea in their next two games, and Lambert is hoping to have sealed his side's future in the Premier League before their final-day meeting with Wigan Athletic.

"That's the objective," Lambert told Sky Sports News. "I wouldn't like to go into the last game to try and stay up.

"We've put a lot of teams in the mix and pulled away from Wigan.

"We've played really well and that's all you can ask for at this stage of the season. I hope we can keep doing that."

Villa travel to Norwich City in their next match on Sunday.