Sunderland boss Peter Reid is pleading with his players to allow him to celebrate his 250th league game in charge with a victory.

Almost six years after taking over the reins, Reid will lead his side into battle in a landmark game against Aston Villa tonight desperate to end a run of seven games without a win - five of which have come in the Premiership.

It is testament to the job the former England midfielder has done in his time on Wearside that, despite their indifferent recent form, the Black Cats still have dreams of a first European campaign in 28 years still alive.

However, he knows that they must return to winning ways soon if they are to gain some reward for another good season, and there could be no better time for him personally than tonight.

''A football manager's occupation is very precarious and to do 250 league games is a fantastic opportunity at a football club like this,'' he said.

''The only thing I want now is for the lads to help me out and celebrate it with a win. But I'm really, really proud and pleased about it.''

Sunderland's last win came in an FA Cup fourth round replay at Crystal Palace on January 18, and the last time they collected all three points in a league match was five days earlier at West Ham.

The run is reminiscent of the one which hindered their progress around the turn of the year last season, although this time, it is suspensions rather than injuries which are in part to blame.

Don Hutchison and Michael Gray both return from two-match bans for the Villa game, although Kevin Phillips and Alex Rae are still suspended and John Oster is awaiting his own enforced lay-off after being sent off at Leicester last week.

The chasing pack closed in on the men from the Stadium of Light during February, and now Reid is ordering his players to step up a gear to create a gap once more.

''You don't have to be an Einstein to know that we need a result,'' he said.

''The last few games have been disappointing results-wise and we're desperate to get back to winning ways.

''If you look at the league table now, we're fourth and it looks healthy, but we need to keep it going.''

Despite scant returns for their efforts over the last few weeks, Reid insists that morale is as high as ever within the camp, and he senses a new determination to try to regain the momentum which had propelled his side to the upper reaches of the Premiership table.

''If you're around the training ground, it hasn't changed,'' he said. ''There's a determination because I think from being up there and people talking about us being in Europe, the players have something in the back of their minds that people have written us off now.

''If you ask them individually, they're determined to try to answer people back, if you like.

''We've got a lot of good players here, and we'll bounce back. Last year, we were in a similar position. We lost games and we were on a bad run, but I honestly feel more comfortable this year with the players I've got, and I certainly know that we can get through it.

''Last year when we lost Steve Bould, Gavin McCann and Stefan Schwarz, I couldn't see where it was coming from, but this year, let's say I'm quietly confident that we'll bounce back.

''We're fourth in the table and it's a great achievement but we need to go on from there.''

Striker Niall Quinn should recover from the back injury which forced him to withdraw from the Republic of Ireland squad last week, but Slovakian defender Stanislav Varga will have a late fitness test on a groin injury ahead of the game.

l Aston Villa manager John Gregory has delivered a ''the past counts for nothing'' message as he looks to end his side's dismal run of results at Sunderland tonight.

Gregory has enjoyed considerable success since he took over the Villa hot-seat three years ago, however the ex-Wycombe Wanderers manager is well aware that there is no silverware to show for his efforts.

He rescued Villa from a relegation fight and secured a European spot in his first year, plotted a record-breaking start to the next campaign and led the club to the FA Cup final and Worthington Cup semi-finals last season.

But Gregory is a realist and knows all that matters is the present and he is all too aware of the example of Ron Atkinson.

Big Ron led Villa to a League Cup final triumph over Manchester United and a UEFA Cup spot in 1994 and was sacked by chairman Doug Ellis six months later.

Now Gregory is desperate to improve on a record of just two wins in the last 14 league matches since a 2-0 home win over Tottenham in November lifted them into fourth position.

Gregory is aware that Villa have under-achieved this season, with an acute lack of goals the main reason for their current uneasy position in the Premiership.

When asked to write a report on himself regarding this season, the ever honest Villa chief admitted it would read ''should have done better.''

He said: ''When things were going well, I wasn't stupid enough to know it was a case of everything I touched turned to gold.

"It was down to the fact that the team was playing well. We were winning a lot of games. We've had a lot of success in the three years. I just don't think we've built on the success we had in the manner we should have done.

''Big Ron won a trophy for Villa and six months later he was out of a job.