John McGinn gives frank view of Aston Villa season as focus turns to 'huge' Premier League clash

The skipper scored the only goal to earn Unai Emery’s men their first win of the campaign but warned there is no time to celebrate as attentions turn to Sunday’s key Premier League visit of Fulham.

McGinn admitted Villa, who had failed to win any of their first six matches of the campaign, remain a “mile away” from where they expect to be.

But he told VillaTV: “We played exciting football (on Thursday) — well, not free-flowing, but a lot better — and hopefully that’s a sign to come for Sunday.

“I said to the boys in there to forget about this as quickly as possible. Sunday is huge and everybody knows that.

“Some players are starting to click into form. We are a mile away from where we want to be, but it is very, very early on.

“We went on a long run last season without getting a win. The manager reminded us of that. It is important to stick together and get wins here especially.”

McGinn said players had noted a low-key atmosphere while warming up ahead of the match but said supporters could not be blamed, after a start which has fallen well below expectations.

Villa failed to score in any of their first four league matches for the first time in club history and the captain continued: “When we were warming up it didn't feel like a European night, it was a wee bit flat which you can understand because we have been pretty c**p at the start of the season.

“It was a wee bit flat so I said there that we need to win our tackles early and try to get the crowd onside. They were good and very supportive in the end.”

McGinn’s 13th minute strike was enough to claim the victory but the night was far from perfect, with Ollie Watkins missing the chance to double the lead from the penalty spot.

That spelled a nervy finish and it required a last-gasp save from Marco Bizot, deputising for the injured Emi Martinez, to preserve the win.

“Toward the end we got a wee bit nervy,” said McGinn. “They (Bologna) play mental football, man-to-man. It reminded us a bit of Bielsa when he was at Leeds.

“You need to be concentrated because they leave players up, so you need to be clean with the ball going forward.

“I didn’t think we were. I thought we were a little bit rusty going forward but we created quite a few chances and could have won by more.

“We played a lot better in the first half than the second half. As a team we need to be more streetwise and in those moments of the game manage it more. Thursday felt like a big step forward.”