The big play-off preview: A second opportunity Aston Villa didn’t expect to get

There have been many moments since that despairing defeat to Fulham at Wembley 12 months ago when the chances of making a return this season appeared slim at best.

It was certainly the sense in the weeks immediately afterwards, when the true extent of the gamble taken by former owner Tony Xia became alarmingly clear and the club teetered on the brink of a financial meltdown.

Even after Villa had been rescued from administration at the 11th hour by the arrival of new owners in the shape of billionaire duo Nassef Sawiris and Wes Edens, the ripples of that chaotic period were still evident for a long time during a season where the fortunes of the team fluctuated dramatically.

The arrival in October of Dean Smith, to replace Steve Bruce, sparked a revival which in the short-term could not be maintained.

As recently as February 16, when Albion left Villa Park with a 2-0 victory, Smith’s team sat seven points adrift of the top six, with Bristol City and Derby both possessing two games in hand.

Yet less than three months later, Villa had finished ahead of both, confirming their spot in the play-offs with two games to spare thanks to a club record-breaking 10-match winning run.

It has been a remarkable turnaround of the like rarely witnessed in Villa’s proud 145-year history.

The return of Jack Grealish from injury in early March was the biggest but far from only factor, as the many positive elements which had sparked only sporadically through the first seven months of the campaign all combined as one to stunning effect.

“I’ve never experienced anything like it,” admitted defender Neil Taylor earlier this week.

“I don’t think there is anyone in the dressing room who can say they’ve been in a team who have won 10 in a row.

“The fact it took us doing that to get into the play-offs shows just how far off we were.

“We knew we had a chance if we continued to win. Momentum built.”

Villa’s form since losing to the Baggies might give cause to wonder what might have been possible had the ingredients of their success come together sooner, or Grealish not missed nearly three months of the campaign through injury.

Then again, another top-six finish would certainly have been taken when Villa’s players returned for pre-season training last July with the club still gripped by its biggest-ever crisis.

Xia’s cash-flow troubles, which at one stage saw Villa threatened with a winding-up order, meant the likes of Grealish and James Chester looked destined to be sold if only to ensure the club could pay the bills.

The likes of Sam Johnstone, Robert Snodgrass and John Terry – big players in last season’s relative success – had already departed to add only further to the sense of turmoil.

“We lost a lot of players who came on loan last season and the squad looked different,” explained Taylor.

“But even when I looked around at the players we had in Portugal in pre-season, there were still a lot of very good players.

“You could still put an XI out which I am sure a lot of Championship teams would like to take. You always believe as a player your team is going to be able to do things.

“I know the season before we were very successful. The nucleus of it was still there.

“Obviously over the course of the season the manager left and a new one comes in, a lot of things have happened.

“You would probably say as a club that around February time it looked a long way off. It is credit to us to get where we have.

“I think where the club was maybe last summer, to where it is now, we have all moved forward together, whether that be financially with the owners, the new staff who have come in. The club is all moving in the same direction now.”

Whatever happens in the play-offs, Villa at least know this summer will be nowhere near as tumultuous as the last.

Yet it would be pointless to ignore the fact that, just as 12 months ago, a host of futures will be shaped by the outcome of the coming games.

Not least that of Grealish, whose performances since returning at the start of March have only further enhanced the reputation of a player so hotly pursued by Tottenham last summer.

Hanging on to him then was in many respects remarkable, yet it would surely be impossible to pull off the same feat this time around.

Then there are the loan players, the likes of Anwar El Ghazi, Tammy Abraham and Tyrone Mings, all of whom were major factors in Villa’s late season charge.

The chances of any of them being with the club next season is almost certainly dependent on winning promotion.

Some optimism can be found in the fact that, unlike last year, the club has not bet the house on going up.

The dramatic change in fortunes has come as a pleasant surprise to a board who, in February, had almost come to accept another season in the second tier and were planning accordingly.

Then there is Smith, the boyhood fan living his dream who has re-energised the team and the fanbase.

Villa’s charge up the table sent the 48-year-old’s stock soaring among supporters.

It has been far from straightforward. After February’s defeat to Albion, there were plenty of doubters.

But Smith’s ability to maintain calm under pressure and stick to his beliefs has seen the latter bear fruit.

“He’s very much a modern-day manager,” explained Taylor. “He’s great with the players on the man-management side.

“His communication skills are great and the training sessions are engaging for the lads.

“Everybody as you can see from the lads who have come into the team when they’ve been needed over the last 12 games, are ready.

“That’s because we train to a very good level. In order to do that you have got to put good sessions on because you will need 22 good hungry lads coming in every day.

“When a manager puts on sessions like that it gives you a boost, hence why the levels of the team have been really good.

“He’s been a breath of fresh air. We heard good things about him before.

“The fact that he is from the area, supports the club, visited previously as a fan, only helps. He’s absolutely loving life and we’re just pleased we can give him a bit of success so far.”

Tomorrow will be the 170th time Villa have faced Albion in a competitive match. There is no rivalry older in the English game and the fixture’s history has included FA Cup finals and tussles for league championships.

This clash cannot match those for prestige but in 134 years since the two clubs first met there has perhaps never been one more important.

Both clubs have plenty to lose. The only difference is that just 12 weeks ago, Villa thought they had already lost it.

It has required a tremendous effort to engineer this most unexpected of second chances. More will now be needed if they are to grasp it.