Steve Bruce believes "dark days" are gone at Aston Villa with club on promotion charge

The boss believes the bond between supporters and players, which was broken during Villa’s decline and relegation from the Premier League in 2016, has steadily been repaired over recent months.

Robert Snodgrass’s 90th-minute winner at Sheffield United last Tuesday sparked wild scenes of celebration among travelling fans, players and coaching staff and left Bruce heartened.

“I’ve seen my staff celebrating, the supporters celebrating, the team, the whole lot of them engrossed in the winning goal,” he said.

“Little moments like that tell me, thankfully, it is starting to turn our way a little bit. Hopefully the tide is turning.

“We are in it together and hopefully the dark days are behind us and we have something to look forward to.

“I think it is vitally important there is a connection with the supporters, a connection with the staff.”

Bruce has worked hard to change the culture at Villa after inheriting a club still reeling from relegation when he replaced Roberto Di Matteo in October 2016.

When he took charge, Villa had won just five of their previous 51 league games, a run dating back nearly 18 months.

Since then things have not always run smoothly and Bruce’s position has come under scrutiny on more than one occasion, particularly earlier this term when Villa won just one of their first seven league games.

But Tuesday’s win saw him become the club’s first boss since John Gregory to win five consecutive league matches and left Villa just a point behind second-placed Derby heading into the weekend’s fixtures.

“The most pleasing thing for me was to see people celebrate,” he said. “I know it is always nice when you score in the last minute. But there was a connection from the supporters and the team they support.

“That is vitally important because I think it had been amiss for a while. They associate with the team. We need everyone pulling in the same direction.”

Bruce, meanwhile, paid tribute to his staff after what has been a difficult week on a personal level, in which he has been dealing with a family illness.

“I realised this week, in difficult circumstances, how important my staff are to me,” he said.

“They prepared the team for Sheffield United. They take all the plaudits because of the circumstances. I have relied on them and they have come through.”