Aston Villa forward Ollie Watkins has made a direct plea to the club's supporters, calling for a more vibrant atmosphere at Villa Park and urging fans not to leave matches early.
Striker Surprised by 'Flat' Feeling Despite Victory
The comments came following Villa's 3-1 Premier League victory over Nottingham Forest on Saturday, a result that extended their impressive winning run at home to 11 consecutive matches. Watkins opened the scoring with his seventh goal of the season, before captain John McGinn sealed the win with a second-half brace – his first double in the Premier League.
Despite the comfortable scoreline and the fact the win sent Villa second in the table, Watkins expressed his disappointment with the crowd's energy. "I felt like the atmosphere was quite flat today considering we’ve gone second in the league and won 3-1 at home," the England international said in a post-match interview.
A Plea to Embrace the Moment and Stay Seated
Watkins revealed his surprise at seeing supporters depart early, even with Villa holding a two-goal cushion. He suggested that increased expectations might be affecting the matchday experience.
"I don’t know if there’s some expectancy creeping in, but I saw people leaving early as well," he stated. "I think people need to enjoy it and embrace it because what we are doing doesn’t happen very often. So, yeah, not to expect too much from us, and stay until the end and keep singing."
Watkins Warns: Football Can Change Quickly
The striker also offered a tactical reason for his request, pointing to Forest's quick second-half goal from Morgan Gibbs-White as a reminder that games are never over. "I just felt like the atmosphere just got a bit flat towards the end, I don’t know if it was because we were 3-1 up, but football can change quickly," Watkins explained.
"They scored very quickly in the second half and put that pressure on us. They had a lot of chances today, so that’s enough said from me."
The victory provides a solid platform for Villa's next fixture, an away trip to Crystal Palace on Wednesday night. Unai Emery's side now enjoys an 11-point cushion over fifth-placed Chelsea in the race for Champions League qualification.
