Luke Young knows the Carling Cup can be Aston Villa's back-up for
Europe - if they fail to finish in the top four of the Premier
League.
And the defender would dearly love to at long last appear in
a major final after being an unused substitute when Tottenham beat
Leicester - managed by current Villa boss Martin O'Neill - in the
1999 final.
Villa head to Blackburn for the first leg on Tuesday night,
having overcome Sam Allardyce's side 3-1 in the third round of the
FA Cup on Saturday.
Young said: "Our main priority is trying to get into the
Champions League. There is no point in not having a go at it and we
have done well during the first half of the season.
"That is our first aim but, if we don't do that, the Carling
Cup can be another route into Europe.
"The competition has still got a lot of gloss. It's so
difficult to win a competition in this country.
"The big four tend to win everything so to get to any final
is a massive occasion and I'm sure the fans will see it that way if
we can get to Wembley."
Full-back Young added: "I've never played in a major final. I
sat on the bench in the League Cup when I was 19 with Spurs after I
played in a couple of the earlier rounds.
"Justin Edinburgh was sent off but we went on to beat
Leicester 1-0 with a late goal.
"For me, it wasn't so much missing out, I was just pleased to
be there. At that stage I had only played 10-12 games for Spurs so
it was all new and exciting.
"I didn't realise it would take 10 years to get there again -
if we can get past Blackburn."
Young has a lot of respect for Rovers and feels it is unfair
to label them as just a physical side. He said: "You know when you
play Blackburn that is part and parcel of their game. They've got a
lot of skill as well. They are not just a tough side who go long
ball all the time.
"They have a few flair players in there as well who can cause
us damage.
"You know what you're coming up against when you face a Sam
Allardyce team but we can cope with that."
