Hutton determined to prove worth

Alan Hutton admitted he never thought he would play for Aston Villa again following his match-winning performance on Tuesday.

Hutton has not played a competitive fixture for Villa since Paul Lambert took charge of the Premier League club in 2012 – spending time away on loan at Nottingham Forest, Mallorca and Bolton Wanderers.

However, the 29-year-old right-back is back on the manager’s radar after scoring the only goal of the game as Villa downed Walsall 1-0 in a pre-season clash.

Speaking to Sky Sports afterwards, Hutton said he intends to make the most of his chance ahead of Villa’s Premier League opener against Stoke City on August 16.

“The manager said that everybody would be starting from scratch again and he’s given me the opportunity to come in and show my worth,” said the Scot.

“I never thought I would be pulling on the Villa strip again so to have that opportunity to come round again and try again was great for me. So hopefully I can grab it with both hands this time.”

Hutton’s 28th-minute strike at Bescot Stadium was his first in Villa colours, a surreal feeling for the former Tottenham man.

“I don’t usually get into those kind of positions but it’s always good to score,” he said.

“There was one or two laughs (from my team-mates) because even in training I’m not the best at scoring.

“It was nice to get on the scoresheet, though.

“It’s one of those feelings that
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doesn’t come around very often.

“It doesn’t come around often enough to practice a celebration!”