Aston Villa will face the winner of the quarter-final tie between Olympiakos and Fenerbahce if they reach the semi-finals; italian side Fiorentina face Czech First Leagues Viktoria Plzen in the quarter-finals, while Club Brugge have been drawn against Greek club PAOK

Plus: Moyesball works wonders for West Ham in Europe as they reach quarter-final of Europa League; Brighton end their European run with their heads held high after being eliminated by Roma; Aston Villa bounce back by beating Ajax to reach in Europa Conference League last eight

Where next for Aston Villa on this European odyssey? The road to Athens, as is Uefa’s strapline for the Europa Conference League, continues. Their adventure to date has taken them to Alkmaar, Amsterdam, Edinburgh, Mostar and Warsaw. For those fortunate enough to savour an electric night under the lights here, the foldout map at the back of the matchday programme handily displayed their potential opponents in Friday’s quarter-final draw. By the end, Villa fans were the ones singing Bob Marley’s Three Little Birds, Ajax’s adopted anthem. The only sour note came in the shape of the sight of talisman Ollie Watkins, who opened the scoring, heading down the tunnel with a knee problem. Leon Bailey doubled Villa’s advantage courtesy of a cute finish on the hour before the substitute Jhon Durán and Moussa Diaby the third and fourth goals respectively. The tie was effectively over the moment Ajax midfielder Sivert Mannsverk was sent off midway through the second half, at which point the Eredivisie side trailed 2-0. After a jarring defeat to Tottenham last Sunday, Villa bounced back in style. Continue reading...

Aston Villa progress to Europa Conference League quarter-finals in style

Aston Villa manager Carla Ward says players and coaches "crossing that line" and becoming involved in a relationship is "unacceptable".

Find out which Villans are in international action this month ?

Aston Villa manager says they have to protect playersWillie Kirk suspended by Leicester for alleged relationship The Aston Villa manager, Carla Ward, has called player-coach relationships in women’s football “unacceptable” following the news that Willie Kirk has been suspended and is being investigated by Leicester City over an alleged relationship with a player. Earlier this season Sheffield United sacked Jonathan Morgan for an alleged relationship with a player during his time at Leicester City, before the club was professional and affiliated with the men’s side. Continue reading...