Source: Telegraph
Stewart Downing pain game ends with a goal for Aston Villa
The 25 year-old suffered a fractured foot while playing for Middlesbrough, ironically against Aston Villa, in May, before he was recruited for £12 million in the summer. [LNB]He made his first appearance for his new club as a substitute against Burnley on Nov 21 and his first start last night resulted in a goal against Portsmouth which helped send Villa into the last four of the Carling Cup. [LNB] Related ArticlesPortsmouth 2 Aston Villa 4Downing was worth the wait, says O'NeillAston Villa eye move for PennantGrant wants to splash cash in JanuaryPremier League set for record transfer windowSport on television"It has been frustrating but the main thing is I am through it now, through the Portsmouth game and I got a goal," he said. [LNB]"I think I got more confident as the game went on. There were some cracking goals and I am so pleased we are in the hat now for the next round. It was a great night for everyone at the club."[LNB]England winger Downing also has the incentive of the World Cup at the end of the season, although his main focus at the moment is getting back to full fitness and playing regularly under club manager Martin O'Neill. [LNB]He added: "The manager just said to me to go out and enjoy it and that's what I did. Obviously the fans have been looking at me as the new signing and as the new player. [LNB]"It was nice to hear them sing my name and give me added confidence."[LNB]Villa winger Ashley Young is relishing being in the same team as Downing, with both of them providing O'Neill with genuine width. [LNB]"He was fantastic," Young said. "He's been out for a long while, not that you could tell. He put on a great performance and managed to bag a goal too. [LNB]"We wanted to get into that semi-final and we've done it. We're delighted. We knew it was going to be tough."[LNB]Portsmouth have turned their attentions to Saturday's Barclays Premier League clash against Burnley which is seen as a must-win game by their players. [LNB]"We have to believe and be positive," veteran striker Kanu said. "We've got to lift our heads up and get the result. [LNB]"We've got to come away with the points against Burnley because that's the game that's going to determine what's going to happen in the league. [LNB]"It's a winnable game. We can play football, but sometimes you have to play less football to win games. That's the difficult thing. But let's keep playing football and hope our luck changes." [LNB]Midfielder Richard Hughes added: "Saturday's the biggest game of the season so far, it's a must-win game. [LNB]"We wanted to progress in the Carling Cup. We had to win three matches to get to this point, so it's not as if we haven't been focusing on it. [LNB]"We've had some good performances but we're fed up with saying that because this is a results business." [LNB]
