Dunne boost for Villa

Richard Dunne’s return to fitness may have come just in the nick of time for beleaguered Aston Villa boss Alex McLeish.

Dunne has been out since mid-February after undergoing surgery on a broken collarbone but could be brought straight back into the Villa side for today’s crunch clash at neighbours West Brom.

The Republic of Ireland centre-back will be keen to get some game time under his belt not just to help Villa beat the drop but also to regain his match fitness ahead of this summer’s European Championship finals.

McLeish has been targeted by fans over the course of this season with criticism worsening in recent weeks, as Tuesday’s 2-1 defeat by Bolton left the side three points off the Premier League bottom three.

McLeish said: “In terms of the abuse, there was nobody more disappointed after the Bolton game than me.

“[The abuse] is part of football and it’s not something you can change. You have to accept it. If you don’t want to hear that, don’t be in this game.”