EVERTON midfielder Leon Osman has fired a warning to Aston Villa that ‘we’re not finished yet’ as his team look to pip the Midlanders to fifth place in the Premier League table.

After a slow start to the campaign, David Moyes’s side climbed to sixth spot on Boxing Day and have remained there ever since – apart from 24 hours last week after the 2-0 win at Sunderland when they briefly leapfrogged Aston Villa before Martin O’Neill’s side recorded their first Premier League victory in 11 outings with a 1-0 success over free-falling Hull City.

With both clubs having just two Premier League fixtures remaining, Villa currently hold the edge with a one-point lead over Everton.

But despite securing their third consecutive top-six finish with Saturday’s 0-0 draw at home to Tottenham and having a first FA Cup final in 14 years to look forward to against Chelsea on May 30, Everton will not be taking things easy over the forthcoming fortnight according to Osman.

In a reversal of fortunes last season, Everton withheld a late rally from an improving Villa as their own faded in the latter stages of the campaign to hold out for fifth spot.

Although Everton – already without long-term casualties Ayegbeni Yakubu, Mikel Arteta, Victor Anichebe and Phil Jagielka – will be keen to avoid further injuries ahead of their return to Wembley and only pride and Premier League prize money differentiates between a fifth and sixth-place finish, Osman insists there will be no letting up from his team-mates.

He said: “It’s been a long season.

“We didn’t start it too well but, come the end with two games to go we’re guaranteed sixth place.

We’re not finished yet – we want to try and finish fifth, which is possible, so we’ll be trying our best in these last two games.”

Everton’s remaining fixtures are at home to West Ham United on Saturday before they go to Fulham – a ground where they haven’t won since 1966 – eight days later.

Villa face two of the relegation-threatened sides from the North East in their run-in as they go to Middlesbrough on Saturday before finishing at home to Newcastle United.

Despite looking up the table at Villa, Osman has also been keeping an eye over his shoulder at the chasing pack below Everton for seventh place – the final European qualification spot, which includes the Hammers who sit ninth in the table.

He said: “We’ve been keeping a note on most people’s progress.