Nigel Reo-Coker made his return from injury in Villa reserves' 1-1 draw with title rivals Arsenal last night.
Reo-Coker, who has been ruled out since the end of January, played the full 90 minutes as the Claret and Blue second string held off the challenge of the Gunners.
Nathan Delfouneso opened the scoring for Villa before Nacer Barazite notched to keep his side's championship challenge alive.
But it was the return of Reo-Coker that grabbed the headlines and he could now be set for an appearance on the bench when Villa take on Chelsea at Wembley this weekend.