Dean Smith: Aston Villa different to last season
Boss Dean Smith believes Villa are now a different animal to the team that suffered play-off final heartbreak last year.
Villa are heading to Wembley for the second season running and will face Derby on May 27 for a place in the Premier League.
They are aiming to go one better after being beaten 1-0 by Fulham 12 months ago, following an underwhelming final performance under Steve Bruce.
Smith, who replaced Bruce as manager last October, engineered a late-season charge up the Championship table before Villa overcame rivals Albion in a two-legged semi-final.
And he is confident his team, younger and fresher than a year ago, can now take the final step and clinch promotion.
He said: “It was always going to be a tough one last year. Fulham had a lot of momentum and were a very good team. They’d won something like 21 of their last 25 games.
“Villa didn’t really perform in the first half but they did in the second. They knocked on the door and didn’t quite get there.
“But this is a different Villa team now. You look at the front three – you’ve got 22-year-old Anwar El Ghazi, 21-year-old Tammy Abraham and 20-year-old Andre Green. So you’re got a freshness about them with a lot of youth and energy.”
Derby pulled off a stunning comeback to beat Leeds in their semi-final and Smith knows Villa are in for a battle against the Rams.
“We know Derby have outstanding players such as Mason Mount and Harry Wilson,” he said.
“They’re two of the foundations for Derby, we have to make sure we’re aware of that. But we have a good team at the moment.”
Villa’s players returned to training today to begin preparations for Wembley, having been granted extra time off to recover from Tuesday night’s emotional win over the Baggies.
