Aston Villa striker Nathan Delfouneso hoping to succeed

Nov 21 2010 by Mat Kendrick, Sunday Mercury

FOR a modern day football fan there’s nothing quite like seeing a home-grown striker succeed at their local club.

In an era where money dictates success, local talent often gets overlooked in favour of multi-million pound international signings.

But at Aston Villa, a top Premier League club in their own right, things are a little different.

For the past decade Villa have given the youth a chance and the latest hitman to be showing signs of promise is teenage striker Nathan Delfouneso.

Make no mistake, Villa have had their fair share of foreign forwards of late, but there’s always been a local lad waiting in the wings.

Since Dwight Yorke left Villa Park for Manchester United in 1998, the claret and blue side have struggled to find a player capable of scoring goals like the Trinidad and Tobago ace used to.

His departure did, however, coincide with the emergence of a young Darius Vassell, who went on to play for England.

The Sutton Coldfield-born star was a success in the Midlands but his career has tailed off since he left in 2005.

He’s now plying his trade for Leicester City, managed by the boss that gave him his international break – Sven Goran Eriksson.

The Moore brothers, first Stefan and then Luke, followed suit, but both failed to live up to their high reputations.

Villa fans didn’t have to wait long before another local hero was born in Gabby Agbonlahor.

Brought up in Erdington, just a stone’s throw away from Villa Park, the 24-year-old has rapidly become a fans’ favourite.

Delfouneso admits that his team-mate is already a ‘‘great’’ player and he will continue to learn from him.

He is also fully aware of the growing tradition at the club to produce home-grown talent and how some have succeeded and others have failed.