Steve Bruce has criticised himself for the substitutions he made during Aston Villa’s draw with Millwall on Saturday, admitting to the Express and Star that he got it wrong at Villa Park.

Villa were held to a 0-0 draw by Millwall at Villa Park on Saturday, with Bruce’s side failing to capitalise on an opportunity to strengthen their grip on a place in the top-six.

Millwall frustrated Villa for large parts, with Bruce’s substitutions failing to make an impact on the game.

Jack Grealish, who many thought was unlucky not to start, replaced Robert Snodgrass in the second-half, with Bruce then making two further changes to his back-four, with Ahmed Elmohamady and Tommy Elphick replacing Alan Hutton and Chris Samba respectively.

Bruce’s decision to leave Scott Hogan and Conor Hourihane on the bench backfired, with the Villa boss one of the first to criticise himself following the goalless draw with Millwall, he said: “We didn’t have enough control and found it difficult. We have to play better than that. Sam Johnstone was easily our best player and had to be, but I’m really disappointed with how we played.

“There’s no excuses for that. Overall, I got it wrong with my changes.”

Villa still sit fifth in the Championship table heading into next week’s fixtures, but Bruce’s side are tasked with two tricky fixtures before Christmas, with the Villans facing Derby County and Sheffield United.

The Verdict  

Villa were disappointing on Saturday afternoon, failing to pick up three points from a fixture that they really should’ve been winning, particularly at home.

Bruce’s decision to leave Scott Hogan on the bench raised eyebrows, particularly with Villa in desperate need of a goal and Keinan Davis failing to create too much.

Saturday’s contest probably highlighted Villa’s need for a new striker.

Aston Villa fans… Let us know your thoughts!