The Villa boss steered his side to five wins from five Championship games in March.
Aston Villa manager Dean Smith has been nominated for March’s Championship Manager of the Month award.
The Villans boss enjoyed a perfect month last time out, getting proceedings underway with a superb 4-0 home win against playoff hopefuls Derby County.
Birmingham City were up next and a volatile derby at St Andrew’s was settled by Jack Grealish’s winner, which came after the captain was attacked by a Blues fan.
Then came a trip to another playoff hopeful in Nottingham Forest but they too were dispatched, the visitors leaving the City Ground with a 3-1 win.
The last game before the international break yielded the second rout of the month as Middlesbrough – yet another team in the promotion hunt – were thrashed 3-0 at Villa Park.
Villa wrapped up March with a 2-1 home win against Blackburn Rovers which showed their resolve, the visitors putting a goal back midway through the second half.
Smith is up against Norwich City boss Daniel Farke, Jose Gomes of Reading and West Bromwich Albion caretaker James Shan, with the winner announced on Friday morning.
Here is how some Villa fans reacted to the announcement on the Championship’s Twitter feed:
Villa are currently fifth in the Championship table, five points clear of seventh-placed Middlesbrough.
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