Aston Villa caretaker manager Eric Black has described the support of the club's fans as "astonishing" amid their drop out of the Premier League.

The Midlands outfit were officially condemned to the Championship after losing 1-0 to Manchester United on April 16.

"I can understand their pain," Black told the club's official website. "I am hurting and I have only been part of it for just over two months. So you can only imagine how the fans must feel.

"They have been through without doubt the hardest season in recent history. To still have turned up in their numbers is extraordinary. It's astonishing to me.

"This is a magnificent football club that has been wounded. It's having to lick its wounds at the moment, but given time - and the right appointments - I believe this club will come back to where it was."

Villa have won just three of their 35 league games this season.