Alan Hutton has thanked the Aston Villa supporters for their reception towards him and the team on Sunday afternoon despite their defeat to Norwich City.
The 33-year-old was given the captain’s armband by manager Dean Smith, who opted to rest a number of first-team players ahead of the playoffs.
The likes of Jack Grealish, John McGinn, Tyrone Mings, Ahmed Elmohamdy, Tammy Abraham and Anwar El Ghazi didn’t feature in the clash against the Championship champions.
Nonetheless, after the encounter, right-back Hutton posted this message on his personal Instagram account to the club’s supporters:
Prior to the weekend game, Hutton last played for Villa during their 1-1 draw at Stoke City. At that time, Villa had won only one game in 12 and were struggling for any form.
But since that encounter, they have won 10 out of their last 13 encounters, losing just the once and have deservedly pushed themselves into yet another playoff finish.
Now, they will turn their attention to those playoffs and trying to beat Midlands rivals West Brom over two-legs, starting with the first-leg encounter starting this Saturday on home soil.
Dean Smith will be looking to bring back a number of his first-team players that were rested for that Norwich game as they bid to gain an advantage going into the second-leg at the Hawthorns.
