Kodjia fires Smith into Villa folklore
ASTON VILLA 1 MILLWALL 0
THIS was a very welcome piece of history for Aston Villa and with it the certainty their season will be extended into the Championship play-offs. Jonathan Kodjia’s goal saw off Millwall and established a club record of 10 consecutive League victories, eclipsing their previous best of nine set in 1910. When it started, with a 4-0 win over Derby on March 2, Villa had slumped to 11th place and a season of mid-table mediocrity looked infinitely more likely than a shot at promotion. If form continues, Villa will have the chance to avenge last season’s Wembley defeat by Fulham and nobody will fancy facing them. Head coach Dean Smith, a lifelong Villa fan, admitted: ‘If you’d asked me 11 games ago would we win 10 I’d say you’re a little bit crackers. ‘The turning point was half-time at Stoke when I got into the players a little bit and we have been excellent since then. But we want to continue it. From where we were to where we are now is fantastic, but there’s a long way to go.’ Villa were not at their best but Millwall are notoriously tough to beat and are scrapping for survival. In the end, Kodjia’s goal on the half-hour cracked it. Villa moved forward fluidly with John McGinn before Jack Grealish rolled the ball wide to Anwar El Ghazi. He drilled in a low cross and Kodjia stole in to score his eighth of the season. The striker was only in the team because 25-goal Tammy Abraham suffered a shoulder injury at Bolton on Friday. Smith confirmed Abraham will miss the trip to Leeds on Sunday. Millwall’s attentions turn to the visit of Stoke on Saturday and the game in hand against Bristol City the following Tuesday. ‘Our season will be defined by those two home games and nothing has changed,’ said boss Neil Harris. ‘We have to be better than them and it has to be hostile.’