Express & Star

Conor Hourihane: Aston Villa are back on the right track no matter the result of play-off final

Conor Hourihane is confident Villa are on the up whatever the result of Monday’s play-off final.

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Villa head to Wembley for the second year running aiming for the victory which would take them back to the Premier League.

Midfield ace Hourihane, who netted in the semi-final win over Albion, was part of the team beaten by Fulham 12 months ago.

It was a defeat which plunged Villa into a financial crisis and almost saw the club enter administration last summer.

Plenty is again riding on today’s result with the futures of several players, most notably skipper Jack Grealish, likely at stake.

But with new owners Nassef Sawiris and Wes Edens having eased the financial concerns, Hourihane is looking toward the future with optimism.

“I worried about it last year and look where we are, we are back in the play-off final again,” he said.

“After the play-off loss last year we were all wondering: “What is going to happen now?’ There was a lot riding on it.

“It might be a similar situation this year in terms of needing to go up to keep the likes of Jack (Grealish), John (McGinn) and the loan players, like Tammy (Abraham) and Tyrone (Mings).

“But listen, this club is not going anywhere. It will always attract players and always bring good players.

“It has its ups and downs but it is the biggest club I have played for by a long way. We are always linked with players in every transfer window.

“People want to come here. Yes, it would be great to go up to bring in better players and keep the lads we have in the squad.

“But if it is not meant to be, I am sure we will be fine going into next year. It definitely feels like this place is on the road back to where it should be. Obviously we need to get over the hurdle of getting to the Premier League first and then we can start building.”