Aston Villa are third in the Championship table as things stand, ten points adrift of leaders Wolverhampton Wanderers and four behind Cardiff City.
Wolverhampton Wanderers are hardly in crisis but a minor blip has certainly checked the momentum at Molineux.
A deserved 2-0 defeat at high-flying Fulham on Saturday followed successive draws against Preston and Norwich City – and has cut their lead at the top of the table to six points with Cardiff City in fine form behind them.
Midland rivals Aston Villa, however, have plenty of ground to make up yet. Steve Bruce’s side are ten points adrift of top spot but only four behind Neil Warnock’s Bluebirds in the second automatic promotion position.
And former Villa striker Stan Collymore reckons a place in the Premier League next season could be within their grasp – even if catching up to Wolves seems a little fanciful.
“Aston Villa have been very disappointing for a lot of this season, spending a lot on wages on a lot of talent, including the likes of Jonathan Kodja, Albert Adomah and John Terry,” said Collymore in quotes reported by the Birmingham Mail.
“But they are now starting to get it right and players like Scott Hogan and Conor Hourihane (below) are putting in performances.
“I don’t think there has ever been any doubt about their ability to go up, they’re probably the most expensively-assembled squad in the Championship, but I think the points Wolves were getting [earlier in the season] have made it more difficult for Aston Villa and other clubs in the chasing pack.
“Can they catch Wolves? Doubtful, but absolutely they can go up in second place.”
It has certainly been a strange season for Villa who recently saw a seven game winning run, their best since 1990, ended by a rampant Fulham outfit.
The Midland giants are prone to remarkable swings in form so Steve Bruce and co will be desperately hoping for some added consistency in the months ahead.
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