Steve Bruce calls on Aston Villa's players to seize the moment as season enters final straight

Villa’s fight to regain Premier League status appears likely to head through the play-offs and boss Bruce has warned a failure to perform in the coming weeks could leave players with regrets which last long into retirement.

The manager has drawn comparison to the lowest point of his own playing career – Manchester United’s 4-0 defeat to Barcelona in 1994 – admitting the memories of the Nou Camp collapse still haunt him to this day.

Bruce, who twice won the Premier League title with United, said: “When you are a player and you then put your slippers on, like I have done, the one thing you remember is the big games.

“That is what you play football for. I remember playing in one of the biggest games and having an absolute beast, against Barcelona when we lost 4-0. It could have been 14.

“That sticks out. The big game, it got the better of me, got the better of us all probably.

“My philosophy is to enjoy it because they don’t come round that often in your career. Before you know it, you might blink and never have another one.

“Enjoy the big occasion and relish the challenge. Can you perform to you ability? That is the key. The big players, the top players, they do.”

Bruce is quietly confident Villa, who host Derby today, have enough experience to handle the challenges ahead, thanks to a dressing room packed with players who have won promotion and been through the play-offs before.

He added: “Go and perform, go and show off on the big stage. That is all I ask.

There is the key to it. Players who have been there and done it. They will take part in it.

“The one that eats away at you is the big occasion when you haven’t turned up, like me in Barcelona. Not done yourself justice. That is always a part of you.”