We want a dream – Matty Cash hoping Aston Villa can keep feelgood factor going

Matty Cash says Aston Villa are daring to dream after they put one foot in the Champions League quarter-finals.

Villa’s incredible debut season in the premier European competition continued with a 3-1 win at Club Brugge in the first leg of the last-16 clash.

Only a collapse at Villa Park next Wednesday would stop them from reaching the last eight where they would meet Liverpool or Paris St Germain.

A special end to the campaign could be on the cards as Unai Emery’s side are also in the FA Cup quarter-finals and still in the race for European qualification through the Premier League.

“As players and as a group, you obviously want to do the best you can and you want to dream about playing in the big games and competing,” Cash said.

“But it is a cliche, you have got to take every game as it comes because when you get into the later stages the quality of the teams you’re up against is a high quality, so you can only do as best as you can.

“We want a dream, we want to try and compete in every competition we can and hopefully we can.

“I think we can all say we haven’t really been fully at our best this season, as a group, really.

“But you look at it, we’re in the FA Cup quarter-finals and then obviously we have got another massive game next week.

“Then one of the main things is we want to get consistent in the league and get back into the top five.

“But it’s obviously nice to be in the top competitions and if you’re still in them in March it is obviously a good sign, so fingers crossed we can keep going.”

Cash was a second-half substitute in Bruges and helped change the game, winning the penalty which saw Marco Asensio make it 3-1.

To have a three-time Champions League winner coming off the bench shows the strength of Villa’s squad.

“His experience is obviously key,” Cash said.

“Him stepping over the penalty, I kind of knew where it was going. He shows that leadership with that quality day in and day out.

“He’s obviously played for the biggest club in the world and other clubs as well. He’s got a lot of quality and his mindset and his mentality is amazing.”