Steve Bruce praised the impact of Lewis Grabban after the striker scored the equaliser in Aston Villa's draw with Preston at Villa Park last night.

The hosts lacked any real intensity in the first half and Bruce made two changes at the break, although one was enforced.

Grabban came on along with Keinan Davis and the pair made a real difference, with the youngster winning a penalty which the ex-Bournemouth man converted.

And, as quoted by the Express & Star, Bruce was delighted with the way his new signing played.

"I thought if there was one person who have us a spark, it was Lewis."

"He is going to prove a really decent acquisition for us. Villa Park did not faze him. He enjoyed it. When it was difficult night for us he has come on and done fantastically well."

Having enjoyed a very productive loan spell with lowly Sunderland in the first half of the season, Grabban made a late switch to Villa in January but has been restricted to substitute appearances since.

However, he will surely be pushing for a start against Sheffield Wednesday on Saturday after his display last night.

The Verdict

Villa were not at it last night and were clearly missing Jack Grealish and Albert Adomah who have the creativity to unlock defences.

Without the duo, they looked pretty toothless until Grabban came on. Whilst the rest of the team were still poor on the whole, he added energy and intensity to Villa's play and made a difference.

It's exactly the impact Bruce would've wanted from his new man and it may be enough to convinve him to start the 30-year old at Hillsborough this weekend.

Thoughts, Villa fans? Let us know in the comments below!