Aston Villa boss Steve Bruce has praised the commitment of Caltex Socceroos skipper Mile Jedinak following a 2-0 win over Norwich in the Championship.
Restored to midfield, Jedinak turned in a typically whole-hearted performance at Villa Park after only returning from international duty on Thursday.
“There’s not many players who would put their boots on today after being where he’s been with Australia,” Bruce said after the match.
“But there was never a hint of me leaving him out.”
Villa cruised to their third straight victory courtesy of two goals from Ivorian forward Jonathan Kodjia.
Elsewhere in England’s second tier, Bailey Wright played a full 90 minutes as Bristol City lost 2-0 away to Brentford.
Twice-capped fullback James Meredith enjoyed more success in League One as he was named the sponsors’ Man of the Match for his performance in Bradford City’s 1-0 win over Walsall.
The left-sided defender came close to registering an assist in the second half at Valley Parade.
Meanwhile, on-loan Burnley midfielder Aiden O’Neill was introduced late on in Oldham Athletic’s 3-0 defeat at Southend United.
