Villa’s recent form has seen Dean Smith’s side climb into the Championship playoffs.
Over the course of the 2018-19 Championship season thus far, it’s not exactly been plain sailing for Aston Villa all the time, but things at the minute are going incredibly well for the West Midlands club.
Dean Smith’s charges are currently in the middle of a five-match winning run in the league, which began on 2 March with a superb 4-0 hammering of fellow playoff chasers Derby County.
Up next was the 1-0 win at Birmingham City, a bitter derby clash which saw hostilities including club captain – and eventual matchwinner – Jack Grealish attacked by a pitch-invading opposition fan.
Then came the 3-1 win away at another playoff-chasing side in Nottingham Forest, followed by the 3-0 hammering of Middlesbrough, and to wrap up a perfect March, the 2-1 triumph over Blackburn Rovers at Villa Park.
Villa are currently sixth in the table on 60 points with just seven games left to play and up next is a trip to Sheffield Wednesday in the first game of April, a month which promises to be riveting and nerve-wracking in equal measure for many teams in the division.
Midfielder Glenn Whelan saw little game time in the early stages of the season but in recent weeks he has featured much more regularly, playing his part in the team’s resurgence, and this week he was in conversation with the Villa website’s One on One feature.
When asked what the “key ingredient” is for Villa this season in terms of promotion, the 35-year-old gave three reasons as to why things are going smoothly at present.
“It’s pretty much what we’re doing at the moment,” he said. “That’s working extremely hard for the good of the team in all positions on the pitch. Another key factor is that we have incredible competition for places right across the squad now. That’s very healthy. But above everything else, I think it’s belief.”
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