Dean Smith: Half time team talk spurred on Aston Villa fightback

Albert Adomah’s first goal for more than 11 months earned Smith’s men a 1-1 draw at the Bet365 Stadium.

Villa had trailed at the break after Sam Vokes’s fifth minute opener for the hosts and Smith said: “I got into my players a bit at half time.

“It wasn’t the fact that they gave the ball away too easily it was their body language at the reaction to it.

“Second half was a really good display. We dominated the game and fully deserved the equaliser.

“I felt like we probably should have gone on to win the game.”

Stoke goalkeeper Jack Butland brilliantly denied both Tammy Abraham and Tyrone Mings as Villa, who lost Alan Hutton to an early injury, pushed for a winner.

The draw did nothing to help their already dwindling play-off hopes as they slipped to 11th in the table, eight points behind the top six.

“We certainly deserved something from the game,” said Smith.

“We changed the system today and then Alan Hutton goes down after two minutes.

“The way our luck goes we concede a goal when we’re down to 10 men. We probably could have done a bit better to stop then cross.

“Then I felt the first-half was a very scrappy affair. It looked like two teams who are struggling at the moment with results.

“I thought there needed to be more composure all over the pitch in the first half - from both sides.

“I can accept mistakes, they happen in every walk of life.

“But I told my players I wanted a reaction and they showed me that in the second half.

“We moved the ball quicker, with less touches and more intensity.

“Their goalkeeper has made some really good saves from Tyrone’s header and also Tammy’s chance.”