Last season was disappointing for Aston Villa as they failed to launch a serious promotion challenge in the Championship.

In the current campaign, things are looking slightly brighter for the Midlands outfit.

As it stands, Steve Bruce's side sit fourth in the table, five points adrift of the top two after 19 games.

At the weekend, the Midlands outfit claimed a 2-0 triumph over Ipswich Town on home soil, which took their tally to three consecutive victories.

The team have found the back of the net 17 times in the league, and have kept eight clean sheets.

Despite John Terry being on the sidelines with an injury, which is expected to keep him out until the New Year, Villa have had some positive performances at the back.

The club's Twitter page highlighted the team's recent improvements by revealing that they have the second-best defence in the division.

The fans were quick to praise the players for their efforts.

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