On the back of history, Aston Villa clinch a play-off spot

It was all done and dusted in February. Villa could make a late push for sixth, but as far as the eye could see, the play-offs were a fight for other teams. Teams who did not suffer the winter slump like Aston Villa.

11 games later - ten of those won in a row (!) - Aston Villa have clinched a play-off place and can finish no lower than 6th this season. While there final position in the table is yet to be confirmed, it seems highly likely that Aston Villa will claim 5th spot in the table and a play-off tie with West Bromwich Albion.

The table doesn’t read easily right now, and the exact reasoning behind this is that play-off hopefuls Derby County and Bristol City have yet to play each other, thus one of those teams cannot claim maximum points while Middlesbrough can only take 73 points out of the season, two fewer than Aston Villa.

The play-offs await, and a ten game winning run has created new history at Villa Park. There’s plenty of reason to celebrate right now.