New Aston Villa captain Micah Richards has spoken about what he describes as a 'dream home debut' at home to Manchester United this Friday, and why the team's form at Villa Park this season will be crucial to their success.
Richards got his first chance to sample a taste of Villa's vocal support as they got their Premier League campaign off to a winning start on Saturday, beating Bournemouth 1-0.
The likes of Tim Sherwood and goalscorer Rudy Gestede praised the Villa support in their post match interviews, and Richards explained how he "can't wait" for his first home game, and wishes it was "right now".
Admitting he is waiting in anticipation to "hear the roar of the Holte end" and "feed off the passion from all around the stadium", Richards confessed that he was impressed by the fans in pre-season, and "can't wait to experience it in front of 40,000 people."
Signing from Manchester City on a free transfer in the summer, Richards isn't fazed by the prospect of facing Louis Van Gaal's Manchester United side, as it was a clash that he thrived upon playing in during his time at City.
Explaining that games against the Red Devils are "always special" for him, the centre back conceded that it would be "a tough game" because "United are challenging for the title, and have some world class players."
Despite being cautious about the possibility of picking up a positive result, Richards praised the Villa board for their recruitment, insisting that they've brought in "talented and hungry players", who will be "giving everything to get a result."
Home form is crucial to the success of any team in England's top division, especially those such as Villa, who are known as relegation strugglers.
Embracing this statement, Richards said that the players wanted to "make Villa Park a fortress" so that it was "a place teams hate coming to."
If they could start off making it a fortress with gaining points against the much fancied United on Friday, then there'll be some very happy supporters in the Midlands.