Dean Smith has paid tribute to football’s ability to survive the coronavirus pandemic after a full year without the normal fan presence in grounds.
Smith’s Aston Villa side were beaten 4-0 at Leicester on March 9 last year, the final Premier League game to take place with no restrictions on capacity in stadiums.
He said: ‘Football in general has dealt with it as well as it could have done. It's been a really tough year – unprecedented.
‘Allowing football to continue allowed people who haven't been able to leave their homes some entertainment following their teams, through good or bad.