PREMIER LEAGUE BUM TIME

Smith believes momentum is in Villa’s favour and victory over West Ham will prove doubters wrong

DEAN SMITH has revealed his biggest driving force as a manager is to prove people wrong. Smith is on the brink of a remarkable survival act at Aston Villa.

His side hauled themselves out of the drop zone on Tuesday for the first time since February with a 1-0 home win over Arsenal. And with seven points from their last three games, 17th-placed Villa’s fate is now in their own hands at West Ham. It is an incredible turnaround after a 3-0 home battering by Manchester

United earlier this month extended their winless run to 10 games. But Smith (left) says he never lost faith in his side, who then beat Crystal Palace, drew at Everton and stunned FA Cup finalists Arsenal. And now he is determined to keep the club he supported as a boy in the Premier League. Ex-walsall and Brentford boss Smith, 49, said: “After the Manchester United match everyone thought we were relegated and were speaking about a Championship season.

But we have taken seven points since then – and it should have been nine – and we’re above the line.

“My biggest drive in football is always to prove people wrong. When you walk into any football club you won’t have 100 per cent of the supporters, and everybody to do with the club, wishing you well.

“Some people will have wanted somebody else. I get that, you can’t always please everyone.

“My job has always been to prove the doubters wrong and hopefully to use that as a driving force. That’s always done me well and I feel it’s done the players well too.

“They’ve been a really resilient bunch. It’s been a tough period, 10 games in such a short space of time.

“We have to make sure we keep the momentum going. That is the biggest word for the players and something we talk about a lot.

“It’s great to be above the line now but we want to be above it come the end of Sunday’s game.”

Smith guided the club to promotion last season via the play-offs after taking charge in October 2018.

And he has warned Villa to prepare for the unexpected on the final day, with Watford and Bournemouth looking to overhaul them.

Smith, whose side got to the Carabao Cup final in March, said: “I enjoy the pressure. It sounds absurd but I don’t mind it.

“We have to be mindful of what’s happening at other games and we’ll have some ‘what if’ scenarios in the final 15 minutes.

“But if we do what we’ve done over the last month we’ve got a good chance.

“We got to a cup final by playing two massive games against Leicester, so these players know how to handle the pressure. I’m sure they will be ready for this one.”