Don’t look now, but I think our season may well be back on track after a hard won three points in Wigan thanks to goals from Gabby Agbonlahor and Ashley Young from the spot, despite James McCarthy’s deflected effort setting up the usual nervous final 10 minutes.

Jean Makoun made his Aston Villa debut and Nathan Baker made a surprising Premier League debut in place of the injured Ciaran Clark at left back, both giving a very good account of themselves. Baker was calm and assured, barely putting a foot wrong, although the referee might have looked twice at an early tug in the box.

Makoun looks the genuine article in the middle, his positioning and first touch clearly a sign of what we’ve been missing in that part of the pitch. He’ll take some time to settle in and those around him will need to adapt to his speed of though; he looks to move the ball on quickly and let it do the work, but his 57 minutes on the pitch were very encouraging, despite a cheap booking half way through.

The first half started extremely brightly, but wastefulness in the final third allowed Wigan to get a foothold in the game and the home side were in the ascendancy when the break came. Stewart Downing, in particular, didn’t really seem to be at the races on the right hand side while Gabby wasn’t exactly leading the way on the opposite flank.

There seemed a little more spirit after Houllier had chance to reorganise, Downing and Gabby possibly encouraged to tuck in more and Ash to run a higher line, but Downing’s game improved markedly.

The goal, when it came in the 50th minute, had a touch of good fortune about it. Carlos Cuellar’s powerful header from a corner was initially brilliantly saved by Al Habsi in the Wigan goal, only for the ball to loop nicely for Gabby to nod in from no more than a yard out.

It was Gabby’s first league goal of the season and he seemed rather pleased with it, as did the rest of the team. I don’t care how they go in, they all count, more of the same please Gab.

Barely 10 minutes later, Ash was taken down in the box by a rash tackle from Hendry Thomas, who he’d been tussling with all game, and referee John Moss wasted no time pointing to the spot. Ash finished it himself, powering straight down the middle.

Houllier had introduced Petrov in place of Makoun just minutes before, the Bulgarian brought in to provide a little more attacking intent in middle. Gabby made way for Marc Albrighton on 77′ which allowed Downing to switch to the left.

Wigan piled on some pressure and it seemed almost inevitable that Villa would not be able to register the first back to back clean sheets of the season. McCarthy’s drive from distance took a wicked deflection off James Collins, but it was invited by the central midfield pair getting pegged back practically on top of the back line.

In fairness, it’s amazing it didn’t happen against City. It did happen today, but at least they did cling on to grab the first back to back victories in the league this season, if not consecutive clean sheets.

The £24m man didn’t get on the score sheet today, but he did get on the end of some early chances and generally played well in tandem with Ashley Young in what was for all intents and purposes a 4-4-2 for much of this one, although there were arguably 4-3-3 sympathies in bursts during the second period.

It’s still about seeing progress rather than the finished article. It wasn’t always pretty and much of the difficulties were of their own making, but there were lots of nice moments and the spirit that’s frequently enough to win games seems to have returned. When they do finally click, and they will, the attacking players; Gabby, Ash, Bent, Downing, Albrighton, and others, will give defenders nightmares.

More importantly right now though, we’re up to 13th in the league, fully six points ahead of 18th place Wigan, but somehow just three points behind Blackburn in 7th place if you can believe such a thing. Maybe, just maybe…

…no, one game at a time!

Next up, in the league anyway, is a trip to Old Trafford to play a Man Utd side who came back from two goals behind in Blackpool to win 3-2; only the 2nd side after Tottenham this season to take three points from being 2-0 down.

Before we can get to that one though, Blackburn come to Villa Park next Saturday in the 4th round of the FA Cup. Maybe, just maybe…

…no, let’s just enjoy this one for now. Six points in two games, a point more than this side achieved in the preceding nine league games. There’s definitely some progress going on and I believe I even heard the away fans singing Houllier’s name tonight.

Long may it continue.

Aston Villa Starting XI: Friedel, Cuellar, Dunne, Collins, Baker, Downing, Reo-Coker, Makoun, Agbonlahor, Young, Bent. Subs: Marshall, Heskey, Herd, Petrov, Albrighton, Delfouneso, Pires.

Wigan Starting XI: Al Habsi, Boyce, Gohouri, Figueroa, Caldwell, Zogbia, McArthur, McCarthy, Thomas, Rodallega, Di Santo Subs: Watson, McManaman, Gómez, Diame, Pollitt, Stam, Moses.