Andi proud of comeback haul of goals

ANDI Weimann believes hitting the 20-goal milestone this season following a devastating cruciate knee ligament injury is arguably his best career achievement to date, writes Richard Forrester.

The Austrian reached the mark in the 3-1 victory over Derby on Saturday, finding the corner of the net after Chris Martin played him through on goal with a firsttime flick in the tenth minute.

Weimann, 30, featured just seven times in Championship last season, requiring knee surgery after an injury picked up in the early part of the campaign. But he has started in every game this term, missing just 16 minutes of action across the campaign.

The forward can rightly feel aggrieved at being left out of the Championship Team of the Year, dominated by Fulham, Bournemouth and Nottingham Forest players – particularly considering he has played in, “about seven positions this year.”

Weimann has featured 14 times for his country and scored 17 times in the Premier League for Aston Villa, but Saturday’s goal at

Pride Park will be the one that sticks out long in his memory.

When quizzed whether it’s the biggest achievement he’s had, he said: “Yeah, I’ve been fortunate to have some really good moments in my career and it’s been nice. Personally, I think coming back from a serious injury and not expecting to hit it, I’m proud.

“I wouldn’t have expected it at the start of the season. I’ve missed 15 minutes all season, so after coming back from a cruciate ligament injury I’m even happier. Hopefully, I can take it into next season and see where I can get to.

“I’m really enjoying where I’m playing in behind the two strikers. It gets the best out of me and the goal (against Derby) shows that I can break from deep and get in, when I’m in front of goal I’m confident in my ability.

“Hopefully, if I can keep playing that position I’ll get a few more goals next year.

“I’ve played in about seven positions this year, I can play anywhere on a pitch, to be honest. I’m happy to help the team and play where I need to be, but that position frees me up a bit more because we’ve got seven behind us and three attackers.

“It allows me to be a bit more free and try to find the space where I think I can get in. It’s brought the best out of me. I missed all of last year, so to come back and miss just 15 minutes all season, it’s been a brilliant season personally for me, so hopefully I can carry on like this.”