Martin O'Neill's side enjoyed another successful campaign in finishing sixth in the Premier League, reaching the Carling Cup final and the FA Cup semi-finals. But skipper Petrov knows that one of the key reasons for Villa's failure to finish above Manchester City and Tottenham in the race for a top-four spot was the number of games they drew. Villa ended up sharing the spoils in 13 of their 38 league games, including a crucial spell of six at home from January to mid April which proved costly. The Bulgaria international said: "It's been a great season for Villa and it's just a pity that such a good season produced no reward. "We were close in the Carling Cup and FA Cup while we just missed out on fourth place in the Premier League. "I am sure those experiences will give us plenty to think about next season and I'm sure we will benefit from going to Wembley twice and pushing hard in the league. "We have produced some superb performances over the last few months but too many potential wins ended up in draws. We intend to be more clinical next season." Petrov also feels Villa may benefit from the number of derby matches next season with Birmingham, Wolves and newly-promoted West Brom also in the top flight. The midfielder said: "Some people feel that too many derbies aren't necessarily a good thing because teams often cancel each other out in these games. "But Villa have done well in derbies since I came here and, even though we had to settle for two draws with Wolves, I am sure our fans would have been happy with the outcome of the two Birmingham games."
