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Ron Vlaar has revealed the pain he endured after his calamitous errors led to defeat in Aston Villa’s recent clash with Stoke City.

The club captain, who is facing a race against time to be fit for Saturday’s FA Cup clash with rivals Albion, has been sidelined for the last two games with suspension and injury.

His costly mistake gifted the Potters a last-gasp penalty which they dispatched in Tim Sherwood’s first game in charge.

Vlaar missed the away trip to Newcastle after serving a one-match ban for the red card and has since been struggling with a calf injury.

Reflecting on that miserable day, he said:

“Being sent off is one of the worst feelings a footballer can have - and I’ve never felt as bad on a pitch as when I was shown the red card in the game against Stoke City recently.

“The closest I have come (to that feeling) was when we went out to Bradford City in the semi-finals of the Capital One Cup a couple of years ago. But that was a case of feeling low as a team.

“This one was all down to me and it meant we lost a match from which we should have taken an important point.”

Injury-hit Vlaar has come in for plenty of criticism from Villa supporters after that incident on February 21.

Instead of clearing the ball in the final seconds of the game he touch a heavy touch in the penalty area and then chopped down Victor Moses as he tried to recover.

It resulted in only his second dismissal ever - the last coming for AZ Alkmaar some ten years ago.

“So how did it happen?” he recalls.

“Well, as the ball came to me, I knew I had to clear it but for some reason I can’t explain my touch wasn’t good and it allowed Victor Moses to run into the penalty area. I tried to make amends as I challenged him but all I did was make things even worse.

“As soon as it happened I knew it was a penalty and a lot of things went through my head as I fell to the ground.

“I knew it had probably cost us the game and I knew I would be sent off because I had already been booked.

“I walked off that pitch feeling nothing but shame because I’d made a stupid decision which had such big consequences.

“It was a costly mistake for me personally because it meant I was suspended for the following game but more importantly it was costly for the team so I can fully understand our supporters being upset about it.

“It was a very expensive error, and I’m not looking to make excuses. All I can say is that I didn’t do it on purpose, it was just an instinctive reaction as I tried to rectify a dangerous situation.”

Vlaar has since watched Villa get the break that he felt they desperately needed.

On Tuesday night the claret and blues beat rivals Albion 2-1 thanks to a last-gasp penalty of their own, and the skipper hopes they can push on now.

“I’m convinced it will give us the impetus to start winning games and move away from the danger zone,” he said.