STEVE Bruce accepts he has work to do picking up his Aston Villa side after a surprise home defeat against QPR.

The Midlanders had lost just one of their previous 10 before Tuesday night and have now lost ground on Cardiff City and Wolves in the automatic promotion chase.

Villa head to the Macron on Saturday night looking to make amends and Bruce – who has won more games against Bolton than any other club – wants a swift response.

“Thats my job, it’s okay when things are going well for you, then it becomes an easier job,” he said.

“There’s always a defeat round the corner and it’s a difficult one to accept but that’s the reality of football.”

With nine games to go, Villa have a seven-point gap to claw back on the top two.

But Bruce insists his team are still capable of launching a late dash for the line.

“There’s still a long way to play yet,” he said. “We threw it wide open on Saturday. Unfortunately we’ve damaged ourselves against QPR.

“But 27 points is huge, so who can string a little run together? We’ve lost our unbeaten run for a while. Can we go on another one when it’s most important?”

Villa could have some defensive problems to solve on Saturday evening with Neil Taylor now considered doubtful with a groin injury.

Axel Tuanzebe and Alan Hutton have deputised for Taylor in the last three games but both are struggling with hamstring injuries and not expected to return until after the international break, which could mean Bruce has to call on one of his development squad.