Play-off semi-final second leg preview: Aston Villa hold advantage but know job far from finished

No question, the final 15 minutes of Saturday’s first encounter – in which Villa turned a 1-0 deficit into a 2-1 lead and saw Albion lose talisman Dwight Gayle – meant momentum swung firmly behind Smith’s team.

Yet their lead remains a slender one. Far bigger margins have, famously, been overturned elsewhere within the past week.

“The players will know from me and the staff that nothing is over,” said Smith. “We’ve got to go there and put in a really good performance.

“I didn’t feel it was a good performance on Saturday. I feel there were a few players who performed below their normal standards. If we play to our normal standards we’ll be a right threat.”

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Glenn Whelan’s error, which led to Gayle opening the scoring at Villa Park, followed by the latter’s subsequent sending off, were reminders of how quickly fortunes can shift in the play-offs.

The pressure, already considerable on Saturday, will only become greater tonight as the clock ticks down and the prize of a trip to Wembley – and a shot at getting back to the Premier League – edges closer for one of the protagonists.

Many of Villa’s players, of course, were in the same position only 12 months ago, when they held a 1-0 lead heading into the second leg of their semi-final with Middlesbrough.

The experience should stand them in good stead, though Smith is keen for tonight’s game to be more open than the tense, tight, nervy affair which saw Steve Bruce’s men over the line last year.

Maintaining an attacking mindset is easier said than done when you kick off with the lead.

But Smith said: “We don’t want to manage the lead, we want another win, because that guarantees you will go through.

“We’re not even thinking about Wembley. We’ve got another tough game. That was a tough game on Saturday against a good West Brom team.

“They made it very difficult for us to create clear-cut chances. We’ve just got to concentrate on that (the second leg) and then look ahead to the final if we get there.”

Villa’s hope is that Albion’s need to attack makes for a more open game and allows the likes of John McGinn and Jack Grealish a greater say in proceedings.

The pair, so often Villa’s source of inspiration, were kept quiet for 75 minutes on Saturday before Grealish finally broke free of the shackles to help instigate the turnaround.

After setting up Conor Hourihane for the equaliser, he was then brought down by Kieran Gibbs for the penalty which saw Tammy Abraham put Villa in front.

The latter led to claims in some Albion quarters, though interestingly not caretaker boss Jimmy Shan, that the Villa skipper had gone to ground too easily.

It is an accusation regularly levelled at Grealish by opponents and while not one which particularly fazes Villa’s skipper, it has been cause for some frustration among the club’s hierarchy.

They point to the statistics which show Grealish has been fouled 154 times this season, comfortably more than any player in the Championship. That is 45 times more than Derby’s Harry Wilson, the next most fouled player.

Throw in the fact Grealish missed 15 games through injury and the numbers become only more extraordinary.

The smart money would be on Grealish, the biggest factor in Villa’s late-season turnaround, again being at the centre of the action tonight.

“It was tough for Jack (on Saturday) because whenever he got the ball he had four or five West Brom players in front of him,” said Smith.

“They camped on the edge of their box and made it difficult for us, but quality players come through at the end.”

For Smith, the biggest question in terms of selection is whether to reward Hourihane for his goal by starting the Corkman at the The Hawthorns, or stick with Whelan alongside McGinn and Grealish in the middle.

The veteran provides a little more defensive cover and would appear ideally suited to a situation where keeping a clean sheet is enough for Villa.

Yet if Smith is genuine about his desire to win the game, Hourihane may well get the nod.

The other possible change is on the wing, with Albert Adomah having underwhelmed on Saturday.

Andre Green, who replaced him off the bench, may well start tonight instead. The 20-year-old has been more effective as an impact substitute but lacks nothing in enthusiasm or energy.

Anwar El Ghazi, who Grealish aside was Villa’s best attacking player in the first leg, will start on the other wing.

Smith admitted the Dutch international, who is observing Ramadan, was ‘shattered’ at the end of the game.

“He’s not eating in daylight hours,” explained the boss. “We’ve got a good performance team managing the times he sleeps and the times he eats. He was tired at the end.

“Tyrone (Mings) had a tight hamstring, but the way I saw him jump over the (advertising) boards at the end to give a fan a cuddle, he looks all right to me!”

Not having to deal with the livewire Gayle, who gave Tyrone Mings his toughest game in a Villa shirt on Saturday, is a huge boost for the Smith’s team.

In Jay Rodriguez, however, the Baggies boast another 20-goal striker and should take some confidence from having beaten Villa without Gayle back in February.

“It’s a big loss for them, he’s a good player,” said Smith. “When he plays down the middle he’s one of those who can score 20-25 goals in a Championship season.

“He’s a threat when you’ve got the ball, a great outlet for them and his work ethic was good, so he’ll be a big loss for them but they’ve still got some quality players.”