Southgate hopes Villa have learned their lesson

Barnsley 0 Aston Villa 3

The journey from Oakwell to the Parc Lescure may be a fairly simple one, but Aston Villa know that they will face a vastly different challenge when they travel to Bordeaux for tomorrow's first leg of their Uefa Cup first-round tie. Although Saturday's victory at Barnsley enabled Brian Little's team to confirm that they have steadied their ship following an appalling start to the season, whether it will prove to have been the best preparation for a European encounter is another matter.

At least Villa are unlikely to be guilty of complacency following their depressing defeat by Helsingborg on away goals last season. Gareth Southgate, the Villa defender, said after Saturday's match: "After what happened last year against Helsingborgs, we've got a point to prove. It couldn't have gone any worse for us in the competition.

"Hopefully this time round we'll enjoy the experience and get a few more big matches, but we know Bordeaux are a very good side. In French football the top five or six teams are very talented, so we will have to be on top form and as resilient as we were against Barnsley to get anything from it."

Saturday's match saw Villa keep their second successive clean sheet, while goals by Ugo Ehiogu, Mark Draper and Ian Taylor will have given the watching Bordeaux coach, Guy Stephan, plenty to consider.

"I was very impressed by Villa," Stephan said. "I think we will be playing them at a bad time because they're growing in confidence and in power. They look a good all-round side. They're quick in going back to defend, they have a hard-working midfield and they get forward in numbers."

While Villa looked competent and confident, Barnsley's performance left their manager, Danny Wilson, seething. "Absolutely pathetic defending," he said after the game. "It's bad, rank defending which has left me annoyed and angry. We gave the game away."

Goals: Ehiogu (25) 0-1; Draper (50) 0-2; Taylor (72) 0-3.

Barnsley: Leese; Eaden, Appleby, Moses, De Zeeuw, Redfearn, Liddell (M Bullock, 65), Tinkler (Sheridan, 57), Hristov (Ten Heuvel, 69), Barnard, Ward. Substitutes not used: Krizan, T Bullock (gk).

Aston Villa: Bosnich; Staunton (Scimeca, 76), Southgate, Ehiogu, Taylor (Curcic, 79), Draper, Yorke, Collymore, Wright, Nelson, Grayson. Substitutes not used: Milosevic, Joachim, Oakes (gk).

Referee: G P Barber (Pyrford). Booking: Aston Villa: Taylor.

Attendance: 18,649.

Man of the match: Leese.