Aston Villa manager Steve Bruce insists that John Terry will only get better after being in control of central defence during win over Barnsley

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Players at either end of their careers played significant parts in Aston Villa's comfortable and timely success at Barnsley.

Keinan Davis, a 19-year-old striker, scored his first league goal after helping to set up two in the first half for Albert Adomah.

Meanwhile, John Terry - nearly twice his age at 36 - was in total control at the heart of Villa's defence as they kept their third clean sheet in a row.

Former Chelsea produced an outstanding performance for Aston Villa at the weekend

'I thought John Terry was absolutely fantastic,' said Villa manager Steve Bruce. 'He rolled back the years and, stupid as it sounds, John will only get better.'

The same is true of Davis, who was playing for Biggleswade after being released by Stevenage when he was spotted by Villa.

Bruce said: 'Keinan's young and a bit of a throwback who hasn't come through all the nonsense of the academies. He's had to fight and didn't give up.

Villa manager Steve Bruce watched his side beat Barnsley 3-0 away from home on Saturday

'Now he must keep his feet on the ground. He's had a wonderful rise in the last month and come from nowhere to be in the team.

The result eases the pressure on Bruce, with some fans questioning him after investing more than £20 million in the squad since his arrival at Villa Park in October last year.

'The one thing you can't get now, unfortunately, is time. The more time the bigger stamp you can put on the club and they can improve,' he said.

Young striker Keinan Davis scored his first league goal in the impressive victory at Oakwell

'Whether it's me or whoever is going to manage Aston Villa, it needs stability for three or four years.'

Barnsley can now look forward to tomorrow's clash with Tottenham at Wembley in the Carabao Cup.

Defender Matty Pearson said: 'Two soft goals in the first half killed us, but apart from that I think we held our own. We're still an inexperienced side and we're getting better.'