Steve Bruce bemoans Aston Villa's finishing after winning run ends
Frustrated boss Steve Bruce bemoaned Villa’s inability to take their chances after they fell to a 1-0 defeat at Huddersfield Town.
Tommy Smith’s second half strike earned the promotion-chasing Terriers victory and ended a three-game winning run for Villa, who had earlier been guilty of squandering a number of opportunities to break the deadlock.
Conor Hourihane fired over when well placed, while Henri Lansbury hit the bar and home defender Christopher Schindler cleared another chance off the line.
And Bruce said: “That is easily the best we have played since I have been at the club, in terms of who we were playing against and how we went about it.
“It was a bit more like it. There is a bit of resilience and a bit of spirit among them.
“Sometimes you are unfortunate but if we have an Achilles heel, we have had two or three opportunities tonight and in a big game you have to take them.
“We are disappointed in that respect. As for the performance I think slowly but surely we are getting to a level where we should be.
“Considering we had nine out I could not say anything more than I am pleased with what we did. Sometimes football is cruel and it is one of those horrible nights.”
Alan Hutton is the latest player to join Villa’s growing injury list with a knee problem, while Iceland international Birkir Bjarnason is facing up to eight weeks on the sidelines with ligament damage.
It has meanwhile emerged former chief executive Tom Fox was paid £2.9million last season as Villa were relegated from the Premier League.
The club’s accounts for the 2015-16 campaign, released yesterday, revealed the American’s earnings increased from £1.2million the previous year. Former Arsenal commercial director Fox left Villa in March last year, before relegation was confirmed.
The accounts also revealed Villa spent just shy of £40million on players last summer following Tony Xia’s takeover of the club.
A total of nine players were signed at a total of £60.5million, with Villa recouping £21million in sales. The club’s overall operating loss, which had already been revealed last week in a pre-accounts statement, was £81million.
