Aston Villa advance to Championship play-off final

May 17, 2018 06:00 am

Aston Villa sealed their place in the Championship play-off final after holding Middlesbrough in a tense 0-0 draw at Villa Park yesterday morning (Singapore time) that sent the Midlands club through 1-0 on aggregate.

Steve Bruce's side will face Fulham in the final at Wembley on May 26 as they look to return to the English Premier League from which they were relegated in 2016.

Having won the semi-final, first leg 1-0, courtesy of a Mile Jedinak strike, Villa showed some organised defending to hold off Boro who were looking for an immediate return to the top-flight.

"It was intense. Our game plan worked very well, so the manager deserves a lot credit for that. The boys have been superb and we're off to Wembley with one more to go," Villa captain John Terry said.

Bruce, who has led two teams through the play-offs to the EPL, added: "They're a good football side. They've got some good players but, then again, so have we. We're going to Wembley, let's enjoy it." - REUTERS