Matt Maher: Past, present and future in mind as Aston Villa meet Preston again

The chaotic 3-3 draw played out on October 2, 2018, when Bruce was targeted with a vegetable and the unlikely figure of Whelan was unable to snatch a last-gasp victory from the spot, will forever be considered a watershed moment in the club’s history, albeit for Bruce, sacked within 24 hours of the final whistle, the writing had already been on the wall.

It had been the same almost exactly two years previously, when a 2-0 defeat at Preston spelled the end for Roberto Di Matteo after just 12 matches in charge.

Villa’s most recent visit to Deepdale, which came nearly three months after Bruce’s last stand, also provides a marker of the remarkable transformation which has taken place over the course of just a few years as the clubs finally prepare to meet again in Sunday’s FA Cup quarter-final. 

The final fixture of 2018 came when the early momentum of Dean Smith’s reign had begun to stall. Jack Grealish had been sidelined with a shin injury, while injuries in defence meant Smith had no option but to field a back four which included three right-backs in the shape of Alan Hutton, Ahmed Elmohamady and James Bree. The pivotal signing of Tyrone Mings on loan from Bournemouth was still more than a month away.

An Elmohamady own goal, which cancelled out Tammy Abraham’s first half opener, meant Villa had to settle for a 1-1 draw. It was the fourth time in five Championship matches they had failed to win and they would claim victory in just one of the next nine before Grealish’s return to fitness, coupled with defensive reinforcements, helped spark a club record 10-match winning streak and surge to promotion which represented the first major step on the journey from then to now.

Meetings with Preston are always going to prompt reflection. Yet Sunday’s Cup clash is more about where Villa can go next, than where they have been.