Less than two minutes into his Premier League debut, Kevin Toner was crunching into tackles.
Aston Villa supporters have been crying out for a bit of fight all season.
That probably explains why a knowledgeable pocket of Villa fans applauded warmly when Kevin Toner was announced as a half-time substitute for Micah Richards.
The 19-year-old from Meath has captained Villa’s Under-21 side for most of this season. He is also said to be one of the youth team that beat the seniors 3-0 in a training match organised by ex-boss Remi Garde.
Toner first came to our attention a couple of weeks back, when his lusty challenges sparked a massive brawl against West Ham’s U21s.
WATCH: Irishman's red card offence(s) sparks 18-man brawl in U21 Premier League match https://t.co/2k6YqbvV7R
— SportsJOE (@SportsJOEdotie) April 11, 2016
Toner has worked closely with Villa’s caretaker boss Eric Black for much of the season and was rewarded for his training ground endeavours with a spot on the bench.
With Villa trailing 2-0 at the break [Shane Long was one of Southampton’s scorers], Toner came on for the struggling Richards.
47 minutes into the match, and two minutes into his debut, Toner went fully committed into a challenge, won the ball and earned a hearty cheer.
Kevin Toner does more in 60 seconds than Richards has done all season.
— Elis Sandford (@Elis_Sandford) April 23, 2016
Villa ended up losing 4-2 but most of the damage was done before Toner arrived, today and tis season.
Too late to make a charge for Euro 2016?
Almost definitely but that won’t stop this determined teenager from trying. It’s in his D.N.A.
