STEVE Bruce admitted that Aston Villa were not good enough in their 1-1 draw with Burton Albion, as Villa saw their play-off push falter at the Pirelli Stadium.
Villa came into the game as one of the Championship’s in-form teams, having won seven of their last eight games and conceding just once in that time. An early goal from Jonathan Kodjia put Villa ahead before a second-half piledriver from former Villa trainee Lloyd Dyer earned a valuable point for the Brewers.
The result leaves Bruce’s side unlikely to make the play-off places as they are now 11 points behind sixth-placed Sheffield Wednesday. Bruce believes his side looked tired against Burton and that Nigel Clough’s side stuck to their game-plan well.
“It does feel like a defeat.
“We have to admit we were poor. We lacked sharpness and a few of them looked a bit off it.
“In my experience, it’s always the week after the international games.
“We’ve played two or three games and some of them were running on empty to be honest.
“It was frustrating but credit to Burton. They are good at what they do.
“We know that it is never easy coming here but after getting off to a good start, we have to take care of the ball better than we did.
“Moving forward we have to take better care of the ball that’s for sure.
“It was clear for everyone to see.”
The draw means that Burton Albion have now lost just twice in their last 10 league games, leaving the Brewers five points clear of the relegation zone with five games left to play. Nigel Clough’s side are next in action when they host Ipswich Town on Friday night.