After a summer of uncertainty suddenly turned into a brilliant summer of signings, hopes were high that Aston Villa could make a success of this season.

But for a long time, it did not look that way.

Steve Bruce was sacked in October after winning just three matches in the opening 11 matches of the season with a 3-3 draw with Preston North End the final nail in his coffin.

Brentford boss and Villa fan Dean Smith was brought in to replace him and has had an ok start to life at the club after four matches at the helm.

A 1-0 win against Swansea City got him off to a decent start but defeats to Norwich City and Queens Park Rangers since have brought him back down to earth with a bump.

But Friday night's 2-0 triumph against Bolton Wanderers made it two wins out of four which is far from a disaster.

Jack Grealish was on fire that night and is finally delivering after a summer of hype. And it is Grealish who ultimately holds the key to whether Villa will have a successful season or not.

Last season, the young midfielder was electric for the club. His stats were not too impressive but then they only ever tell a small part of the story.

He was somebody to get bums off seats at Villa Park and somebody who could win a game or steal a point out of absolutely nothing.

For the opening weeks of this season, however, that Grealish has gone missing. A hangover from all of the summer speculation perhaps.

But against Bolton on Friday night he was back to his best, opening the scoring and grabbing an assist for James Chester.

It is no coincidence that when he plays well the team look a lot better as well.

If Grealish can find that consistency, Aston Villa could rocket up the table very quickly.