Bruce would settle for a point at Villa

Hull City manager Steve Bruce would be happy to take a dour 0-0 draw at Aston Villa as the two clubs bid for Premier League survival.

Bruce’s men have enjoyed a solid return to the top flight and sit 13th, five points clear of the relegation zone with an FA Cup final to look forward to later this month.

A point at Villa Park on Saturday could be enough for Hull to secure safety if other results go in their favour.

Having sat through a lacklustre stalemate in the return fixture at the KC Stadium, Bruce is more than happy for a repeat against strugglers Villa.

“A dull 0-0 will do me on Saturday,” Bruce said.

“Last time against Villa was an awful affair. Me and (Villa manager) Paul Lambert both said it was arguably the worst game we’d seen in a long time. This one must be better because it couldn’t be much worse.

“Yes, we are in the entertainment business, but the main aim for us is to stay here in this division and it looks like we’re nearly there, which was the biggest challenge to us all when we came up.

“Points on the board are always better because the teams in the relegation areas have to win now, they’ve just got to get results and it’s very difficult when you’re chasing results.”

Bruce has a 12-month rolling contract at the KC Stadium and is reportedly set to earn a long-term deal.

The former Sunderland boss revealed that talks with owner Assem Allam about next season are imminent, adding: “The owner is delighted, like we all are.

“I go and see the owner once every two or three weeks for a cup of coffee and I’m due again next week probably.

“It’ll be terrific to talk about next year now and start putting plans in place. We’ll sit down, see where we are and plan ahead.”