Aston Villa goalkeeper Sam Johnstone has made a couple of mistakes in the last two games that have resulted in goals.
During Sam Johnstone’s first loan spell with Aston Villa, it seemed that the goalkeeper never quite won all of the fans over and went through a spell where he seemed to come in for criticism after every single game.
He returned to Villa Park in the summer for a season-long loan, and for much of the campaign he has provided the kind of reliability that his critics suspected he may be incapable of when he was struggling last term.
The Manchester United-owned stopper was one of a number of players within Steve Bruce’s squad who seemed to step their games up this season, and that has been a key reason why the Villans go into the final months of the season well in the hunt for the automatic-promotion places.
However, the last two games have seen Villa claim one point, and Johnstone has had questions asked of him for two of the three goals that the side have conceded.
Against Fulham, his terrible free-kick allowed Floyd Ayite to score an outrageous long-range goal. The Cottagers star deserves huge praise for the composure, but Johnstone – who had taken the kick towards the side of the pitch and thus, was well out of position – certainly should not have given the opponent the opportunity.
And against Preston North End last night, the 24-year-old came in for criticism once again as his attempt to punch clear a corner fell towards the penalty spot, allowing Tom Barkhuizen to score an overhead kick. He also flapped at the attempt, though keeping the ball out was made more difficult by the number of players surrounding him inside the six-yard box.
Villa are heading into a stage of the season where they will be looking for their form to be almost flawless as the pressure builds and the race for automatic-promotion hots up.
Having a key player who is low on confidence and making errors at this stage of the campaign is a major blow for Bruce, but the problem is amplified significantly when it is a goalkeeper going off the boil.
Bruce will surely be reminding Johnstone of how good he has been up until recently as, if Villa are going to see off the challenge from the likes of Cardiff City, Derby County and perhaps even Fulham, having a number one that they can rely on is surely a must.
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