SEASONS TO BE CHEERFUL
Bruce: New owners have breathed new life and taken away the gloom
FROM hell to Hull to home – with a real Brucie bonus along the way.
That is the journey Steve Bruce has endured for the past three weeks after his future was clouded in uncertainty with Aston Villa on the breadline.
Then along came new billionaire owners followed by victories against two of his old clubs – the Tigers at the KCOM Stadium and Wigan at Villa Park.
Oh, and six goals scored in the process to amass six points when the future for Bruce and his club looked pointless.
No wonder the Villa boss was buoyant, upbeat and in a mood to celebrate with a few beers after this edge-of-the-seat last-gasp win.
“I’ve been in it a long time and it’s been a difficult summer for everybody,” he said. “I’m not going to lie about that.
“I’ve lost good people in lots of areas because we thought there would be cuts. So to come out and get a decent start is great for the supporters.
“The new owners have breathed new life into everybody and taken away the doom and gloom. The Aston Villa supporters should have very exciting times ahead.
“So now we can all breathe a big sigh of relief and get on with the main business, which is to play football.”
Bruce enjoyed so many pluses on a day when Jack Grealish stole the show with a man-of-the-match performance despite being endlessly sent crashing to earth with some roughhouse treatment.
But the local lad who thought he would be playing for Tottenham this season always got back to his talented feet and got on with the job of punishing Wigan with his undoubted talent.
Bruce added: “He’s a footballer and people love sitting and watching him.
“He draws a foul because he beats you, and how good is that? He produced the form he showed last year which made him into a £30million footballer. And he looked every penny a £30m footballer.
“I’d have tried to give him a whack, though, and in my day I would have got away with it.”
It was a foul on Grealish that led to Villa’s opener, James Chester heading home the resultant free-kick before Nick Powell equalised for Wigan when Orjan Nyland’s attempted clearance bounced off his legs and in.
Callum Connolly put the visitors ahead but Villa were level through a Chey Dunkley own goal, and deep into added time Birkir Bjarnason claimed the winner.
Connolly said: “It was a big plus getting the goal but devastating to lose. Football’s cruel at times and we just got punished at the end.”
ASTON VILLA: Nyland 7, Tuanzebe 6 (Adomah 64, 6), Chester 7, Jedinak 6, Hutton 7, Bjarnason 7, Elmohamady 6, Grealish 9, McGinn 8, Green 6 (HepburnMurphy 74, 6), Kodjia 6 (Hourihane 87).
WIGAN: Walton 6, James 6, Dunkley 6, Kipre 6, Robinson 6, McManaman 6 (Evans 53, 6), Connolly 7, Morsy 6, Jacobs 6; Grigg 6 (Vaughan 80, 6), Powell 7 (Windass 68, 6)