Aston Villa must face the real test of their Championship credentials, or so we are led to believe.

Having confounded their critics by climbing to their highest position since the 1981 title triumph, Villa take on Nottingham Forest, Liverpool, Millwall, Manchester United, Arsenal and Chelsea in six consecutive matches which can make or break their season.

In truth, though, Villa will never have a tougher assignment than the one they received at Plough Lane on Saturday.

Villa's ability to rise to the occasion against quality opposition has rarely been in question but frequent failings against rough and tumble outfits have put serious doubts over their competitive nature.

Those doubts were well and truly dispelled against a Wimbledon side who beat them three times last season and whose physical, direct approach continues to deflate football's biggest egos.

Villa succeeded on Saturday because they were prepared to match steel with steel and had the extra touch of class where it mattered.

You won't see a better pass than the 40-yard volley which Gordon Cowans delivered for Tony Daley to set up David Platt's 11th goal of the season on 23 minutes.

And Daley's precision shot eight minutes from time was a fair reward for a scintillating performance which suggested the unpredictable little winger is capable of finding the one ingredient which has been missing from his game - consistency.

Yet the real heroes of this victory - Villa's seventh in eight League games - were to be found in the other penalty area.

Nigel Spink battled on bravely with a gashed knee after making a crucial early save from Eric Young, while Paul McGrath. Derek Mountfield and Kent Nielsen formed a central defensive trio which threw up an impenetrable fortress in front of the goalkeeper.

With Platt and a revitalised lan Ormondroyd occupying deep positions to help nullify the Wimbledon bombardment. Villa never had the opportunity to mount any sustained pressure of their own.

lan Olney ran himself to a standstill as the- and lone out-and-out target man, however, and those two exhilarating goals from Platt and Daley were enough to secure Villa's first-ever competitive victory over the Dons.

Taylor said: “When you come to Wimble-don, the game is won or lost in your own penalty area - and Mountfield, McGrath and Nielsen won it for us.

“You have to say to yourselves: We are not too good to come and scrap”