Aston Villa manager Tim Sherwood has admitted that his side are not suited to battling against relegation.

The former Tottenham Hotspur boss picked up his first win in charge of the club on Tuesday night as Christian Benteke's late penalty handed the Villans a dramatic 2-1 victory over local rivals West Bromwich Albion.

The result lifted Villa out of the bottom three, and Sherwood is keen for his side to play with freedom despite their precarious position in the table.

"We've got a group of players who are not really suited to a relegation battle, if I'm honest," he told reporters.

"The old-fashioned style is blood and thunder to dig out results so we have to change it.

"We have to play as if we're not in a relegation battle. We have to pass the ball and move and we did that in the first half. It takes bravery to do that, especially against an expectant crowd."

Villa and West Brom will do battle for the second time this week when they meet in the quarter-finals of the FA Cup on Saturday.