Crystal Palace v Aston Villa: Dean Smith challenges his troops to end the season on a high

Villa kick-off the final week at Crystal Palace tomorrow lunchtime with Smith challenging his players to secure the club’s first top-half Premier League spot in more than a decade.

There was a point this season when sights were set a little higher and the boss admits inconsistent performances since January have been a source of frustration.

But the progress since last year, when Villa looked destined to drop back into the Championship, has still been considerable.

Strong recruitment will again be key this summer as the club aim for a more sustained challenge near the top next term yet Smith believes those players who have shone this year, such as Ollie Watkins and Emi Martinez, will also be stronger next time around.

“I think we’re building a squad that’s capable of challenging in the top half of this league. We want to keep progressing,” said Smith.

“I thought the first half of the season was very good. We’ve been a bit hit and miss in the second half but individually you can see we’ve got better players now and more depth for playing in the Premier League.

“That’s something we’ve worked hard to create and they will be better next season from playing this one.”

Villa enter the penultimate weekend 11th in the table, one point behind Leeds. After Palace, their final match behind closed doors, comes Wednesday’s trip to Tottenham before a curtain call at home to Champions League finalists Chelsea a week tomorrow.

“That’s the aim (a top-half finish),” said Smith. “But we want to go and win as many as we can.

“The fact we have kept 15 clean sheets this season shows how far we’ve come from walking off that pitch at Leicester in the pouring rain having got beaten 4-0 before going into lockdown.

“There has been real progress at the club. Of course we’re disappointed and frustrated that we’ve probably dropped off the pace a bit in the second half of the season but we’ve obviously lost our best player during that period and suffered a Covid outbreak.

“But you’re also competing against very good teams in this league. We’re a little bit disappointed we’ve faded but there’s been some great progress for us.”

While Jack Grealish will again be on the bench as he continues his steady recovery from a shin injury, Villa will welcome back Ollie Watkins after the striker sat out Thursday’s 0-0 draw against Everton. Right-back Matty Cash is being assessed for a hamstring injury suffered against the Toffees.

One player whose season will definitely finish sooner than the rest is Ross Barkley, with the on loan Chelsea star unable to face his former club on the final day.

Villa have no plans to sign the 27-year-old permanently but while his inconsistent performances have been a source of fan frustration, Smith has been impressed by his attitude.

“One thing I can say about Ross is he has never shied from a challenge at all,” said Smith. “He has been a credit to himself, certainly on the training ground.

“He got injured and lost form and has worked really hard to get that back. We’ve seen bits of it over the last three or four games.”