Aston Villa go up against West Bromwich Albion at the Hawthorns on Friday evening, with Dean Smith facing the club who interviewed him for their managerial role during the summer.  

The former Brentford boss was a man in-demand over the summer, with the Birmingham Mail revealing that he was interviewed for the West Brom job during the summer following relegation from the top-flight.

West Brom instead opted for Darren Moore, who has impressed and helped the Baggies into promotion contention, whilst Smith now finds himself at Villa Park, having walked out on Brentford despite a strong start to the season.

Smith will visit the Hawthorns for the first time since that interview with the Baggies on Friday, with his Villa side looking for a third consecutive away victory.

Villa have swept aside Derby and Middlesbrough 3-0 in recent weeks, putting themselves back in promotion contention in the process.

Ahead of Friday’s clash, West Brom have also been finding their best, putting together a four-game unbeaten run.

Whilst that unbeaten run was extended last night against Brentford, Moore’s side were denied a fourth consecutive victory by Lewis Macleod’s late header, which secured the Bees a 1-1 draw at the Hawthorns.

The Verdict  

Smith was superb at Brentford and his record there means he will have been considered for many managerial roles.

Of course, West Brom looked elsewhere in the end, and for now, it’s hard to imagine that they will be regretting that too much.

However, this adds a little bit more edge to Friday’s exciting clash.

Thoughts? Let us know!

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