Conor Hourihane admits Aston Villa must work harder to improve Championship form
Thursday 16 February 2017 17:45, UK
Conor Hourihane says Aston Villa will continue fighting for a play-off place until it is "mathematically impossible".
Steve Bruce's side are 16th in the Sky Bet Championship table, 19 points off the final play-off spot.
Villa have gone eight games without a win, losing six of their last seven matches, and face league leaders Newcastle at St James' Park on Monday night, live on Sky Sports.
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"The fans deserve better," Hourihane, a January arrival from Barnsley, told the EFL Weekly podcast. "They have been high-flying in the Premier League and at the minute we're struggling a little bit.
"We need to come together, work hard and all sing off the same hymn sheet as they say.
"Sometimes you need to knuckle down that little bit harder and things will turn for you. The only thing that will get us through is the hard yards on the training field to get that bit of luck that we've not been having in recent games.
"We will keep trying [to make the play-offs] until it's mathematically impossible and we will keep giving our all.
"If it is not meant to be this year then we will keep knuckling down for next season and really give it everything that we've got."
Villa made a number of significant additions in the January window, signing Hourihane from Barnsley, as well as Scott Hogan from Brentford, Henri Lansbury from Nottingham Forest and Neil Taylor from Swansea.
"When you look around the dressing room, you can't not be confident," Hourihane added.
"There are really good players here, especially for this level. Everyone just needs to work that little bit harder on the training field to turn the luck around.
"We haven't had it in recent weeks but if you keep going, luck starts coming to your side. When that starts happening, the only way is up.
"The manager has been fantastic with myself and the lads since I came in. We have some great players in the changing room, it's just taking a bit of time to gel."
Villa travel to promotion pace-setters Newcastle seeking their first league win since Boxing Day and Hourihane says he's looking forward to testing himself against the league's top team.
"If you don't get excited about going to St James' then there's something wrong with you," he continued. "It will probably be a full house or close to it, under the lights on Sky.
"How can you not be excited by it? We are all looking forward to getting up there and why not turn it around at the place people least expect you to do it?"
