SMITH FURY OVER JACK KO LEAK

weeks. He added: “You are always going to miss a top-class player, take Jack Grealish out of any team and you’d miss him but the XI that was out there was good enough to win.

“Jack is going to be a loss because he is an exceptional player with a great personality but we still had enough there to beat Leicester.

“I don’t put the loss down to

Jack Grealish not being in the team. It is not going to be a long-term injury, I will be guided by the medical staff and Jack. We have other players who can score goals.”

Smith (right) tore into Villa at half-time after a lame display which saw James Maddison and Harvey Barnes put Leicester ahead before Bertrand Traore pulled a goal back after the break. He said: “I was disappointed with our first half. It took some harsh words from me at halftime to lift us.

“It was a long way back after giving two goals away in a poor first-half performance. “But second half we were much better. They were hanging on at the end to get the result.”

SEAN DYCHE insisted his players have hit the wall after over two months of two games a week.

The Burnley manager admitted his side were poor against 10-man West Brom but he was loathe to criticise a squad who have been stretched to the limit since mid-december.

“The game schedule has been really unkind and that’s the first time it’s really caught us out,” said Dyche (above).

“We have asked a lot of these players and some of them we have to just keep rolling out week after week.

“But the difference is when you are doing that Saturday to Saturday, you get a break.

“It’s a challenge and the midweek games are ones we’ll have to take on.”

Defender James Tarkowski said: “The thin squad isn’t helping but it’s not an excuse.”