At a time when Aston Villa may be tempted to make a grab for instant glory, it’s good to see them investing in a longer term insurance policy.

European football is the ultimate target, and two obvious short cuts present themselves over the next six days as Ron Atkinson’s men resume their double Wembley assault.

But Cup trails are often littered with pitfalls which claim unsuspecting victims that the longer, more exhausting route to Europe should not be completely by passed.

The manner in which Swindon were torn apart on Saturday has left no doubt that a top three placing is still very much on Villa’s agenda.

Dean Saunders’ first hat-trick for the club put the gloss on a scintillating showing which would have left most Premiership clubs gasping for breath, let along struggling Swindon.

Forget the fact that two of Saunders’ treble came from the penalty spot. That was merely a reflection of the incisive fashion in which Villa ripped through Swindon’s bemused defence in the second half, prompting the rash challenges on both Saunders and substitute Dwight Yorke.

And if Saunders’ two second half strikes had to be executed from the 12 yard mark, there was no question about the quality of his opening goal.

His single minded run and lethal shot carried all the hallmarks of a striker brim- over with confidence, which is precisely wha Villa need in the forthcoming battles at Tranmere.

Not that any member of the side should be lacking confidence right now, not after extending their unbeaten sequence to seven matches and completing their first 'double' of the season.

It’s just a pity that Dalian Atkinson could not have put his name on the scoresheet on a day when sharper finishing would have almost doubled Swindon's agony.

The enigmatic Atkinson, who claims he is always made the scapegoat when things go wrong, put one header just too high and saw a powerful drive fisted away by Jon Sheffield.

But he will be haunted by a dreadful 67th minute miss, when he shot tamely at Swindon's debut 'keeper with the goal at his mercy.

Still, you can get away with that sort of thing when your team are leading 3-0 and Holte Enders have already displayed their appreciation of your work rate.

As if to atone for his wastefulness, Atkinson's sheer tenacity paved the way for Kevin Richardson's precise shot which produced goal No 4 on 73 minutes and gave the skipper a deserved reward for his perpetual motion midfield contribution.

If Saunders was the hero and Richardson the inspiration, however, the most satisfying goal came from a young man who must have wondered if he was confined indefinitely to the treatment room.

Stephen Froggatt, troubled all season by a knee injury and sidelined for the last three-and-a-half months, celebrated his surprise recall with a lunging close range header which put the finishing touch to a beautifully crafted Saunders-Tony Daley move.

But it wasn't just Froggatt's goal which had manager Atkinson beaming.

The young winger, operating on this occasion as a fullback replacement for Steve Staunton, ensured that Villa's balance was maintained in the absence of the Ireland international.

He was, admittedly, outpaced by Swindon's most dangerous player Nicky Summerbee on a couple of occasions near the end of the first half, but otherwise Froggatt could not be faulted.

Froggatt might just have returned in time to sample a taste of cup fever.