Emile Heskey’s hamstring injury in Aston Villa’s Gameweek four clash with Everton has proved the making of Barry Bannan’s domestic season. A couple of brief sub appearances had preceded the Goodison draw but Heskey’s withdrawal has afforded the young Scot a chance to establish himself in Alex McLeish’s first-team and, so far, he’s grabbed it with both hands.
Bannan has started the subsequent three matches for Villa and has either assisted or scored in all of them, playing a significant part in maintaining his side’s unbeaten start to the new campaign. A home game with Newcastle in Gameweek five saw him set up Gabby Agbonlahor for the opener in a 1-1 draw, then the following week, with Darren Bent sidelined with a groin strain, Bannan stepped up to fire home a penalty in the away game at Loftus Road.
Last weekend saw the same strong form continue, despite Heskey’s availability. Bannan again set up Agbonlahor for a Villa opener and this time round, McLeish gave the youngster his first ninety minutes of the season, as he continues to establish himself as the creative hub of the new-look Villa side. So far, Bannan sits on 4 Fantasy Premier League (FPL) bonus points – only Agbonlahor has managed more for the Midlands outfit; an impressive return, then, given his mere three starts.
While summer signing Charles N’Zogbia struggles to make an impact and Stephen Ireland flatters to deceive, Bannan has looked the real deal in the Villa midfield. As his manager declared in the aftermath of Saturday’s win over Wigan:
“Barry Bannan is coming in and starting to look impressive. At last we had big levels from our creative players. That’s what’s been missing in the past few games because we have had an awful lot of opportunities without executing the final ball.”
A Gameweek eight trip to Man City will prove the ultimate test for Villa’s unbeaten run but four out of the following five offer plenty promise (WBA, sun, NOR, tot, swa). Bannan, priced at just 5.0, is giving Fantasy managers plenty reason for consideration right now.
