Leon Bailey: Strength of character got me through Aston Villa horror miss
Villa winger Leon Bailey claims strength of character helped him bounce back from his horror miss against Wolves in this month’s West Midlands derby.
Bailey left the pitch in tears after missing an open goal with virtually the last kick of the game of the 1-1 draw at Villa Park on January 4.
But the then opened the scoring inside the opening three minutes of Villa’s next Premier League match, at home to Leeds, setting Unai Emery’s men on course for a 2-1 victory.
Bailey explained how experience had helped him get over the Wolves miss.
He told Villa TV: “I never let anything get me down for too long. I’ve faced too many obstacles in my life, and my whole career, to let one moment hold me back for too long.
“I used that game to learn from it and motivate me to make sure the next one (chance) I get, I’ll take. That’s what happened.
“I’m really grateful that I could score that early (against Leeds) to give the team a push.”
Bailey has started five of the six Premier League matches since Emery replaced Steven Gerrard as Villa boss. Villa have taken 13 points under the Spaniard to move clear of the relegation zone and up to 11th in the table.
“He’s brilliant. I really like him a lot,” said Bailey, when asked about Emery’s impact. “I think he’s very clever. He’s passionate about what he wants, he’s demanding of the players and he’s really good at being there for the team and giving us the confidence to carry out the instructions he wants. He’s done a really good job so far.”
