Ollie Watkins is aiming to take his goalscoring form into Aston Villa’s Premier League campaign following a fruitful pre-season.
The striker scored the opening goal in a 2-1 win against Valencia on Saturday, taking his tally to four from his side’s six friendlies.
Watkins has picked up where he left off after scoring 15 top flight goals last term, and he’s eager to help his side make a fast start when they take on Newcastle United this weekend.
“It’s nice to be scoring frequently,” he said.
“I didn’t have many opportunities but when it fell to me, I took it. I’m glad I got a goal.
“Long may that continue and I can take it into the season. It’s nice to score in the games leading up to the season.”
Emiliano Buendia was also on the scoresheet in Spain as Villa saw off Valencia despite Calum Chambers’ late own goal.
Watkins felt the game was a good test ahead of a season that will see Villa play in the Europa Conference League.
He said: “It was a good experience to come here and play in such a hostile environment and an unbelievable stadium.
“I don’t think we played our best football but it shows how far we’ve come that we came out with a win. We’ve got a lot to improve on.”
Watkins added: “It’s key to play these games and get used to it [playing in Europe].
“It was a bit of a hostile atmosphere and they scored late on to put a bit of pressure on us, but we saw the game out and dealt with their threats.
“They didn’t have much [threat] but we didn’t control the game as much as previous pre-season games.”
