Wilfred Bouma has heaped praise on his Villa team-mates for supporting him during his recovery from injury.

The Dutch full-back made a huge step on the road to recovery from the dislocated ankle he suffered in preseason, by setting up the winning goal for Villa's reserve team in their 1-0 win over Stoke City on Monday.

He said the support received from his team-mates gave him a massive boost during his time on the sidelines.

"When I saw my foot, I thought I would never play football again - I thought my career was over," said Bouma.

"Some of the lads here have had big injuries. I have spoken to them and they gave me some good advice. That's been very helpful.

"Curtis Davies and Martin Laursen spoke to me just like the rest of the team. They have supported me."