Cardiff trip an early test of Aston Villa's durability on the road

The next few days will give an early indication of just how successful he has been.

Trips to Cardiff tomorrow and Reading next Tuesday present two very different but equally-demanding tests for Villa.

The memories of last season’s respective fixtures could also be no less contrasting.

Villa’s win at Reading last October arguably remains the brightest moment of Bruce’s tenure to date.

Ending the club’s 14-month wait for an away win in just his second time in charge, it fuelled the euphoria of his early weeks at the helm and the belief an instant turnaround in the club’ fortunes might just be possible.

January’s 1-0 defeat at Cardiff, however, came at a time when such optimism was beginning to wane. Sparking a run of eight defeats in nine games, the performance was one which travelling supporters – and the manager – saw all too often during the course of the campaign.

Villa conceded early and simply never got going until the final 20 minutes of the game, by which time it was too late to a stage a comeback.

But you could hardly call it the worst away display of the season, simply because there were at least half a dozen others equally as poor, meaning Bruce entered the close season with a clear idea of what needed to be done.

“We’d go away and not put our boots on,” he said. “I couldn’t bear it and it did send me into a downward spiral. It happened too many times.

“We had to address that. We had to be better mentally, and if we are still as fragile as we were away from home last year then we will struggle again.

“That’s why I’ve brought in what I’ve brought in.

“I’ve brought in a bit of toughness and a bit of steel because too easy last year we were getting turned over.

“We have won five times in two years. We have to address that.

“That for me is the mentality and something I wasn’t used to.”

Villa won just four league games away from home last term and nothing came easy.

Two of those victories came against teams who were relegated at the end of the season, Rotherham and Wigan, while they comfortably finished as the division’s lowest scorers on their travels, netting just 14 times in 23

games.

Jonathan Kodjia was responsible for five of those goals, though Bruce will be without the striker and influential midfielder Mile Jedinak for both tomorrow and Tuesday as the duo recover from injury.

John Terry will return to lead the side after sitting out Wednesday’s 2-1 Carabao Cup win at Colchester United. Alan Hutton, Glenn Whelan, Henri Lansbury and Gabriel Agbonlahor are also set for recalls, though both Andre Green and Joshua Onomah are pushing to start after first impressing as substitutes against Hull last week and in the cup.