Steve Bruce remains hopeful that his Aston Villa side can finish second after they put pressure on the sides above them with victory over Leeds last night.

The West Midlands side beat the Whites thanks to a Lewis Grabban header, which took them to within one point of Cardiff and two of Fulham, although the pair are in action today.

However, Bruce thinks the unpredictable nature of the second tier could see a few twists and turns before the end of the season.

"I’ve said it many times, if we can lose a couple of games back-to-back then others can," he told the Express & Star.

"That’s how the Championship is. We’re looking for two teams to dip but we can’t give up hope. We’ve done our job and put a bit of pressure on. Now can the others do us a favour? Fingers crossed."

Cardiff, who have two games in hand over Villa, will be in action at Norwich City this afternoon whilst FUlham host in-form Brentford this evening in a London derby.

The Verdict

All Villa can do is win their games and see what happens. The likelihood is that they've left it too late and recent dropped points could cost them badly, but they have to fight until the end.

As Bruce says, the Championship is unpredictable and at this stage of the season funny results do occur.

So, Villa have to remain hopeful and hope to put as much pressure on the two sides above them by winning.

Thoughts, Villa fans? Have you given up on the top two? Let us know in the comments below.