ASTON VILLA ENDURED a miserable season in the Championship last term, finishing in mid-table obscurity and never in a position to challenge for an instant return to the top-flight.

They won just four away games in the entire campaign and lost 13.

And, despite starting the season as favourites to go up, they’re still to win and suffered an embarrassing 3-0 defeat in Cardiff on Saturday.

Nathaniel Mendez-Laing scored twice for the home side while Junior Hoilett was also on the mark.

Afterwards, manager Steve Bruce let rip at his side.

“It’s awful, it really, really is awful. Same old, go away from home, we don’t do the basics against a big, physical team,” he said.

And of course once we don’t score where we’ve had an opportunity to score, then all of a sudden when we’ve conceded, we can’t respond in the right manner. And I have to say, we have to look at each and every one of us and say that simply wasn’t good enough.

“We haven’t got millions and millions to spend, that’s not the answer. We’ve got to find a resilience away from home or we’re going to come unstuck again. The first goal was a poor mistake and after that it was on the edge of embarrassing. I have to be honest. It is a rude awakening for us.”

Cardiff are one of four Championship clubs with 100% records from the first two games of the season and sit joint-top alongside Wolves, Ipswich and Nottingham Forest.

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