Conor Hourihane bagged his first Aston Villa goal against Bristol City on Tuesday night.
Aston Villa manager Steve Bruce
Aston Villa manager Steve Bruce has told the club’s official website that Conor Hourihane must kick on having scored his first goal for the club against Bristol City on Tuesday night.
Villa were coming off the back of Saturday’s morale-boosting 1-0 home win over Derby County as they took on Bristol City at Villa Park, and after picking up their first victory in 2017, they made it two wins in two games.
After missing a first half penalty against his former club, Jonathan Kodjia struck in the second half to put Villa in front, before Conor Hourihane sealed the win.
The midfielder tucked the ball home from close range after Albert Adomah’s shot had been blocked, sealing a comfortable 2-0 win for Bruce’s men.
Hourihane didn’t even start the game, but he made a huge impact. The Irishman missed out on the win over Derby with a dead leg, and was only named on the bench against Bristol City as a result.
However, he came on to great effect, replacing Gary Gardner after 38 minutes and scoring the clinching goal for Villa – his first for the club since arriving from Barnsley in January.
Aston Villa’s Conor Hourihane scores their second goal against Bristol City
The Irishman built up quite the reputation for being a goalscoring midfielder at Barnsley, and his new manager Bruce reacted to his performance by urging him to kick on and score more.
Bruce told the club’s official website that his first goal will give him belief to make the next step, claiming that he has all the credentials to be a star for Villa.
“The goal will do him the world of good,” said Bruce. “He’s a good footballer and now he has to have the belief that he can come and play on the stage like this, which we have given him. That’s the next step for him.”
“He’s played 18 months in the Championship to a very good level. He has a great left foot. He can make a pass. He can score a goal. He has all the credentials,” he added.
What did you think of Hourihane’s display against Bristol City?
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