Aston Villa manager Steve Bruce has given his verdict on the 0-0 draw against local rivals Birmingham City in the Championship at St. Andrew’s on Sunday.
Villa hit the crossbar twice late in the game but unfortunately for Bruce, the game ended in a stalemate. The draw puts Villa at sixth on the table, seven points behind league leaders Sheffield United.
Following the game, Bruce was asked to offer his opinion on Birmingham’s performance in the derby. The former Blues boss praised Birmingham’s play during set-pieces before branding them as ‘absolute giants’.
“I came here against Cardiff and sat in the stands, they had a new manager, a different philosophy,” Bruce said.
“The looks of it is a bit old-fashioned, old-school and up and at you.
“To be fair to the Birmingham supporters, there was a tackle that went in near me and you’d think they were winning 4-0. It’s what we expected. They had a good spell after half-time when we needed a change.
“Once Jedinak came in, it stopped them and they weren’t as physical. They were a big threat from set-pieces. They were absolute giants!
“Physically we were better when we adapted. I thought Jedinak coming on helped us enormously. Then we had two very big chances at the death.
“It might have been unjust but it would have been nice to nick it in the end because it’s never easy as the away team in a derby.”
Birmingham’s struggles in the Championship continues as they sit at 21st on the table with just 12 points won from the 14 games played so far. Meanwhile, Villa prepare for a midweek trip to Deepdale to face Preston North End.
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