Emanuel Villa has dedicated the second goal of his brace against Fulham on Saturday to Rams fans.
Striker gives thanks for great support he has had during difficult time
Derby striker Emanuel Villa has dedicated the second goal of his brace against Fulham on Saturday to the Rams' fans.
The Argentinian wanted to repay the supporters after being made to feel very welcome following his £2million move from Mexican outfit UAG Tecos in the January transfer window.
Despite his brace in the 2-2 draw being not enough to keep the Rams in the Premier League, his joy was there to see as he celebrated the second goal with the fans, describing the moment as "very special".
Villa, known as 'Tito', told the
Derby Evening Telegraph: "I'm very happy and very grateful, because not just on the field, but off the field too, people have treated me very well.
Pay back
"The only way I can pay them back is out there on the park and scoring goals."
Saturday's goals were his first at Pride Park and he was pleased to get on the scoresheet at home.
He added: "Like all strikers, you can't live without goals.
"It's important to score but I preferred the second goal because it's the first time I've been able to celebrate with the fans.
"England is the only place in the world where you can do that, so it was a very special moment."
Villa said the Rams' appalling run of form has made it even harder to settle but he believes things will come good in the end.
Doubly difficult
He said: "I think it's been doubly difficult, I've never really experienced it in my career where a team is not creating chances or situations in which you can get in front of goal to have a chance to score.
"So, it's been difficult because it's been in the middle of my settling-in period. You keep on trying, you keep fighting and do your best.
"I'm calmly and quietly confident that things will turn out well and I'm sure we'll continue to improve as a team."
Villa has not set himself a goal target in the Championship, preferring to concentrate on the rest of the season first.
He said: "It's too early to start talking about things like that. We've still got games between now and the end of the season, and we've got to keep our dignity and work hard to get results out of each of those."
