Aston Villa's promotion bid faltered last week but they got back on track on Saturday, coming out on top 4-2 in an end-to-end battle with Sheffield Wednesday. 

Steve Bruce's side had struggled for creativity in the absence of Jack Grealish and Albert Adomah but Lewis Grabban, Glenn Whelan, Conor Hourihane and Robert Snodgrass stepped up and found the back of the net.

We asked former Brentford midfielder and TalkSPORT pundit Scott Saunders for his thoughts on Villa's season, including how big an issue the worsening Villa Park pitch is.

He told FLW: "They're a squad with leaders all over the park. They had a loss and a draw last week but all the top teams have dropped points lately so it will come down to who is the most consistent.

"I play in League Two so I know about a dodgy surface! It makes a bit of a difference and there are certain areas of the pitch where you don't want to be messing about with the pitch but it's the same for both teams.

"It's not like Villa are a Brentford, who pass from the back. They do get the ball forward a little bit quicker than some of the other footballing teams in the league.

"I wouldn't call Villa a footballing team. I'd say they're a very strong outfit who know how to win football matches. I don't think it's a big issue."

When asked who is the bigger miss out of absentees Adomah and Grealish, Saunders said: "I'd say Adomah because his pace can stretch teams and he gets goals and assists. Someone with a lot of pace who can stretch teams and knows where the goal is, is a big miss."

Villa fans - what do you make of Saunders' comments? Let us know in the comments below...