Just when they seemed to be down and out, heading back to the Championship after securing promotion via the playoffs last year, Aston Villa have found a previously lacking resilience to pick up seven points from the last nine.
Tuesday night’s 1-0 defeat of FA Cup finalists Arsenal was probably the most significant result of a topsy-turvy campaign which ends with a trip to West Ham United, a side that were until recently fighting for their Premier League status as well.
The unforeseen run cobbled together by Smith’s side will probably be attributed to many of Villa’s players realising the ramifications of being back in the Championship in a pandemic-hit universe.