Aston Villa captain John McGinn hopes Ollie Watkins has “shut a few people up” after breaking a long goal drought in the win over Fulham.
Villa have been a shell of the side of the last couple of seasons in the current campaign. Prior to the win over Fulham on Sunday, the Villans had scored just once in five Premier League games.
They increased that tally massively, with three goals securing their 3-1 win – their first of the season in the Premier League – which hauled them clear of the drop zone.
The first goal came courtesy of Ollie Watkins, who ran through on goal and dinked a bouncing ball deftly over Bernd Leno in the Fulham net, before the Villa attacker also played a big part in Villa’s third goal.
The opener was significant, as Watkins had gone 700 minutes without a goal in league action, though took it like a man bereft of absolutely no confidence.
We at F365 feel it’s one of the biggest goals of the season, and Villa captain McGinn hopes it’s had an impact on the naysayers, too.
“He has had a lot of criticism in recent weeks but what he will get from us as team-mates and staff is love and support,” McGinn told the BBC.
“What he has given us in recent seasons is nothing short of brilliant.
“He always has a spell in the season when it doesn’t quite click for him but he runs a lot and he works hard and then when he gets the ball you expect that he will score. Hopefully that shuts a few people up.”
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McGinn added his delight on Villa finally managing to register their first win of the campaign.
“Delighted but relieved at the same time. It has been a very poor start to the season. To lose here 3-0 in the last home game was tough to take. We actually started well and then we reacted really well to conceding at the corner,” he said.
“It is not an easy place to play when the crowd are on your back but then when you get momentum, what a place it is to play. It was important to show belief and confidence in each other. What a win and what a huge show of character for us.
“It can change quickly [form] but we are not getting carried away. We have turned a little corner the last few games but that doesn’t mean anything. It’s about recovering now and then back here next Sunday to try and pick up another win in the league.”
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