Stephen Warnock told Sky Sports News (23/08/21 at 12:10 pm) that the Villa Park atmosphere was ‘deafening’ over the weekend.
Aston Villa beat Newcastle United 2-0 upon supporters return to the stadium and a packed-out 40,000+ crowd saw their team record all three points.
It was quite the welcome for Villa supporters because Danny Ings, on his home debut, scored a quite stunning overhead kick to open the scoring.
Warnock, who played out on that Villa Park turf for a number of years, shared what it was like watching the game from the stands on Saturday.
“I was at Villa Park at the weekend,” said Warnock. “And it was just deafening. I mean the noise!
“When the players were on the front foot and going forward, when the defender was a little bit under pressure or clearing a ball, it was jeered when it went out or it was cheered.
“That player, you could see him getting a little bit deflated. But then the forward player, who went to close him down, got a cheer for chasing a lost cause. Suddenly, he felt 10ft tall.
“It’s such a good feeling, even for myself turning up for a game to see that and feel that atmosphere.”
Whilst the Villa players were welcomed with open arms on Saturday, it’s going to be a different story tonight and a completely different environment.
Dean Smith’s side are in League Cup action and they face off against League Two side Barrow.
Given that Holker Street stadium holds up to around 5,000 spectators, it’s going to be slightly different to having 40,000 screaming at you.
But even if Smith makes changes to his XI, it should still result in the club progressing through to the next round.
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