Dalian Atkinson wanted to give championship chasing Aston Villa a double title boost at Chelsea later that day. First, the £1.6 million strikers wanted to live Villa by returning to action after an eight-match lay off because of a stomach muscle injury, and then also announce his long-awaited return by helping his side to a win that would put them back on top of the premier league.
Atkinson who had been forced to sit idle by January, was keen to get on with it .
Dalian Atkinson said “There’s still a third of the season to go and I’ll be trying to make up for the lost time. I tried to come back too early, initially against Manchester City, which made things worse.”