Championship play-off semi-final second leg: Aston Villa 0 Boro 0 (Agg 1-0) - Report and pictures

Only Fulham now stand between Steve Bruce’s team and a return to the Premier League.

Saturday, May 26 is the date. Wembley is the venue. One more game, one more effort is all which separates Villa from promotion back to the division they left in such turmoil only two years ago.

Supporters will hope the occasion is less tense then the one which got them there.

For the semi-final second leg against Middlesbrough was as nervy a night as Villa Park has seen in years.

Villa got the result they needed with a 0-0 draw. Mile Jedinak’s early goal in Saturday’s first leg at the Riverside was enough to decide the tie.

It was a result Bruce’s men deserved, though fans were put through the wringer in a match where Boro always carried a threat.

Tony Pulis’s men came mighty close to taking it to extra-time, former Villa winger Stewart Downing striking the bar with a free-kick just two minutes from time.

It followed a moment of extreme controversy, with referee Mike Dean choosing to show Sam Johnstone only a yellow card after the Villa keeper had handled outside the box.

That meant Villa escaped unscathed from the one moment in which they lost their nerve.

Otherwise, they earned their route through to Wembley with a performance full of commitment and desire.

A tremendous atmosphere was expected at Villa Park and the crowd duly delivered. It was given an added poignancy, however, by the pre-match minute’s applause in tribute to Jlloyd Samuel, following the former Villa defender’s tragic death at the age of just 37.

Both teams made only one change to their starting line-ups from Saturday’s first leg, both injury enforced.

For Villa, James Bree replaced Ahmed Elmohamady at right-back for only his fourth league start of the season.

Dael Fry came in for Daniel Ayala in the heart of Middlesbrough’s back line, though the most intriguing piece of team news for the visitors came on the bench, where former Villa striker Rudy Gestede returned after three months out with a fractured ankle.

Villa were the quickest to settle, Snodgrass setting the tone in the opening two minutes by harrying George Friend, winning the ball and then a free-kick.

Bree sent a powerful drive whistling wide of goalkeeper Darren Randolph’s left-hand post, while the Boro keeper was left thanking his good fortune soon after, when Hourihane charged down an attempted clearance and the ball dropped agonisingly out of Grabban’s reach.

Yet gradually the visitors began to find their way into the game and the home crowd were subjected to a number of nail-biting moments.

Jonny Howson sent a header off target when rising unmarked to meet a Stewart Downing corner, while Sam Johnstone was relieved to see Boro penalised for a foul when a Ryan Shotton long throw bobbled dangerously through a crowd of players in the box.

Villa had their nearly moments. Only the vital intervention of George Friend saved the visitors when Hourihane had come steaming in to meet an inviting Adomah cross.

The best chance of the half for the home side fell to James Chester but, turning eight yards out from goal, he was unable to direct Grabban’s knockdown on target.

Instead the opening half ended with Boro camped in Villa’s half but unable to find a way through.

Hourihane rose to clear a goal-bound Ryan Shotton header, while only a perfectly-timed Chester challenge prevented Assombalonga from bursting through on goal.

A booking picked up by Alan Hutton, who had so excellently shackled Adama Traore during the first leg, also caused home tensions rise.

Boro continued to hog possession early in the second half and as players tired, so gaps began to appear, with Mo Besic sending a low drive a yard or so wide of the post.

Villa too were now beginning to look dangerous on the counter attack and their most flowing move of the match to date almost brought the goal they desired, with Randolph saving from Grabban when the striker tried to flick home Adomah’s low cross.

With Boro beginning to look short on ideas, Pulis introduced Bamford off the bench in place of the ineffective Assombalonga.

Yet Villa were now in the ascendency and Grabban forced Randolph to tip over a powerful drive from distance, while the keeper was relieved to see a deflected Adomah shot dip just over the bar.

Randolph had kept the tie alive with a superb save to deny Snodgrass at the Riverside. And the Republic of Ireland international repeated those heroics with an equally good stop to keep out a curling Grealish effort which looked destined for the top corner.

Bruce waited until 11 minutes from time to make his first change, replacing Grabban with Jonathan Kodjia.

Villa were now enjoying their strongest control of the night as they kept possession in the Boro half and the clock ticked down.

Only in the final ten minutes did Boro begin to seriously threaten again. Fabio, who had replaced Shotton, floated a cross inches over the head of fellow substitute Gestede.

The real drama - and controversy - occurred three minutes from time.

A simple long ball over the top caused confusion in the Villa backline and Johnstone clearly handled outside the box in an attempt to block Traore’s shot.

Referee Mike Dean produced only a yellow card, with Downing crashing the resulting free-kick off the bar.

It was Boro’s last big chance. When the final whistle blew, visiting players sank to their knees while hundreds of supporters came pouring onto the pitch.

Teams

Villa (4-1-4-1): Johnstone, Bree, Chester, Terry (c), Hutton, Jedinak, Snodgrass, Grealish, Hourihane (Whelan 84), Adomah (Bjarnason 90), Grabban (Kodjia 79) Subs not used: Samba, Onomah, Hogan, Bunn (gk).

Boro (4-1-4-1): Randolph, Shotton (Fabio 82), Fry, Gibson ©, Friend, Clayton, Traore, Besic, Howson (Gestede 73), Downing, Assombalonga (Bamford 68) Subs not used: Leadbitter, Cranie, Harrison, Dimi (gk).