Aston Villa manager Steve Bruce has been named the Championship Manager of the Month for January.

The 57-year-old steered his side to four wins from four games, conceding just a single goal in the process and climbing to third in the table.

The West Midlanders began the year with a 5-0 demolition of Bristol City, while Nottingham Forest, Barnsley and Sheffield United were also defeated by Bruce's charges.

Villa assistant manager Colin Calderwood, who picked up the award on Bruce's behalf, told the EFL website: "We've had some tough games in Bristol City and Sheffield United, teams in around us, and the importance of those games brought us to a new level of performance.

"We had difficult moments in those two games especially but we ended up coming out with positive results and I think it's that type of thing that helps get runs going. Our performance level has been good but the quality of our goals has been excellent.

"This is as talented a group as any, certainly going forward, but it's the togetherness of the dressing room which is a telling factor and that's something that has been fundamental in a lot of the successful clubs throughout the country.

"The dressing room has been good and been noisy, with the right level of concentration and fun within it and when you've got that it's a great platform. Behind the scenes that's one of the biggest things I've noticed as a coach or a manager."

Birmingham City boss Steve Cotterill, Norwich City head coach Daniel Farke and Fulham manager Slavisa Jokanovic were also in the running for the award.