Aston Villa drew a blank for the third time in four Premier League matches this weekend, a vastly improved performance against Leicester City failing to yield the result their display arguably deserved.
Its been the story of their season to some extent. Chances missed, points dropped. They say the league table never lies but, on occasions, it’s been known to fib.
And as Ollie Watkins and Danny Ings squandered a host of presentable opportunities during the recent 4-0 home defeat to Tottenham Hotspur – a one-sided scoreline that really doesn’t tell the full story – the Holte End faithful must have been wondering how differently things may have transpired if Steven Gerrard could call upon a ruthless, remorseless 20-goal-a-season marksman.
And it just so happens that, on Saturday afternoon, two former Aston Villa men broke the 20-goal barriers for the first time in their career, albeit at clubs a couple of rungs further down the footballing ladder.
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Before this season, Andreas Weimann had only ever hit double figures once, back in 2018/19. But, as he raced clear against already-relegated Derby County just ten minutes in at Pride Park, there was only ever going to be one result.
“I think it’s a career-best (tally) for him,” Bristol City boss Nigel Pearson tells FourFourTwo. “It’s a testament to his professionalism. His desire and his work ethic is just incredible.
“I’m really pleased for him, especially off the back of last season where he spent a long time out injured. To have a season like this on his return from injury is particularly impressive.”
If Weimann is making up for lost time at the age of 30, ageing like the finest bottle of Austrian Frühroter Veltliner, then Harry McKirdy is a player with plenty of time on his side. The cheeky 25-year-old, who rose through the ranks at Villa like Wiemann, has dropped down to the depths of League Two but it surely won’t be long before he is climbing the EFL pyramid once again.
A place in the fourth tier’s Team of the Year is a fitting reward for a man who’s tally of 20 goals in 39 games is made all the more impressive when you consider that he’s hardly a natural number nine.
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“Harry backscoring is huge for us. It’s what he does,” says Ben Garner, Swindon Town’s promotion-chasing gaffer.
“He showed great timing and movement and it was two clinical finishes. One-touch finishes on both occasions and that’s his strength because he’s always on the move.”
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