Aston Villa hat-trick hero Conor Hourihane has the taste for goals
Having just become the first Villa midfielder to score a hat-trick in more than a quarter of a century, Conor Hourihane is unsurprisingly hungry for more.
The 26-year-old’s heroics in Saturday’s 4-2 win over Norwich ignited both his and Villa’s campaign and ensured he joined a rather exclusive club.
Not since David Platt netted the second of his two hat-tricks for the club in a 3-2 win over Tottenham back in March, 1991, had a midfielder managed to bag a treble for Villa.
Prior to Platt, the last had been Gary Shelton, who scored three in a 5-1 win against Arsenal in April, 1979. No other central midfielder has scored a hat-trick for the club since the end of the Second World War.
Hourihane had also netted in Villa’s 2-1 defeat at Reading last week and the rarity of his scoring form is not lost on a player who admits to having a “striker’s mindset”.
And though such exploits ensure he will be among the first names on the team sheet when Villa return to Championship action at Bristol City on Friday night, Hourihane is eager to feature in tonight’s Carabao Cup second round tie against Wigan.
“I definitely want to play in the cup games, I want more goals,” he said. “If I play tonight I’ll be looking to score more. Saturday was a good win. We need to build on it now.
“It’s unusual for a midfielder to score four in two games. Usually you might get one in three, but two in four is a great ratio. It gives you that good belief that you are able to score goals for this club.”
Though he had delivered a number of solid if unspectacular performances since joining from Barnsley back in January, Saturday felt like the moment Hourihane truly arrived as a Villa player. The challenge now for him and the team is to use the performance and result as a springboard for the rest of the campaign.
“I only got one goal last season at Villa,” said Hourihane. “I was in and out of the team and missed a few chances but over the summer I took some time out to relax and take in the whole move.
“I just thought, from pre-season, I’m going for it. I aimed to work even harder and I’m a big believer that if you work hard you get your rewards. I do that.”
Whether Hourihane will get his wish to play tonight is questionable, with boss Steve Bruce keen to ensure players remain fresh as possible for Friday’s testing trip to Bristol.
Teenage midfielder Callum O’Hare should start, while this also appears a chance for Mile Jedinak to gain match-fitness.
