Aston Villa: Final-day drama was ‘heart attack stuff’, says Conor Hourihane

Midfielder’s side stayed up by one point after draw at West Ham

Conor Hourihane has called on Aston Villa to learn from this season’s struggles and push on when the new campaign begins.

Villa secured their Premier League survival on the final day after a 1-1 draw at West Ham kept them up by a point.

Captain Jack Grealish fired them into the lead with six minutes left before he deflected a long-range Andriy Yarmolenko shot into his own net to set up a nervy finale.

But Villa, who were seven points from safety heading into their game against Crystal Palace on 12 July, held on to complete their version of the great escape.

Midfielder Hourihane told Villa TV: “It’s been a rollercoaster of emotions with last-minute defeats, ups and downs, and we’ve not been consistent enough over the season.

“But being in the middle of the pitch with the staff, players and all the injured lads at the end of the game – we were just over the moon. On the pitch, it wasn’t too bad, but then with 15 minutes to go I got taken off and it was a nightmare because you can’t affect the game.

“We were getting results and updates every other minute. When you’ve come off and people are giving you updates, it was heart attack stuff.

“I’m delighted for the club. It’s a massive, massive football club and everyone knows we shouldn’t really be in this position. Hopefully we can build on this season and move forward.”

PA