Sidwell To Make His Mark

Steve Sidwell is looking forward to becoming sharper in games and getting himself on our scoresheet regularly.

Against Odense he was finding himself in scoring positions more often which was pleasing and he's sure that as he gets more match fit and regains the sharpness that will have been lost by not playing regularly at Chelsea, it won't be long before we see performances we know he is capable of....mainly thinking of the Reading match when he single handedly destroyed us!

Speaking on the official site he said:

'Hopefully it won't be too long before I'm on the scoresheet for Villa. I'm getting in the positions and that's the main thing.

'It took me a while to get going on Saturday and it wasn't the sort of home debut I would have liked but the fans can rest assured there's a lot, lot more to come from me.

'I think I got into it as the game went on and as a team we had much more of a rhythm in the second-half. As the game wore on we got stronger and more into our stride.

'If we'd converted the chances we created in the second-half it would have been an emphatic victory. That's the main thing. We're creating chances and getting in those positions to try and score.'

The season kicks off properly soon and given our entry to the UEFA Cup making the most of our pre season is even more important as we need the players fit and on form if we are hoping to replicate the league successes from last season.

With that in mind, Sidwell was even more pleased with the Odense matches, as they proved to be a real test for the players.

'We knew it was going to be a tough game and the heat was an added factor. So it was good to get a win under our belts at home. We know it is still pre-season and it's going to take time but we're slowly getting there.

'What we've got to remember is where we are now is all because of last season's hard work. We didn't want to just throw that away in two matches after working so hard for the previous 38.

'Now we're into the next round and we'll continue plugging away. We'll be fitter by the time we play the next round and I expect there'll be a few more players in as well.

'The injury to Freddie knocked us out of our stride a little bit and that's understandable. It's not the sort of thing you want to see on a football pitch.

'Freddie's a strong character and seeing him on the floor in agony was not nice. But we ground the result out and did it for him.'

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