James Chester: Aston Villa captain hoping for brighter times after injury woes

Wales international James Chester is hoping brighter times are ahead after making his first Aston Villa appearance in 11 months.

Chester, 30, played 77 minutes of Villa's 5-0 Carabao Cup win over Liverpool on Tuesday.

The centre-back had not featured since January thanks to knee and hamstring injuries.

"It was very special," said Villa club captain Chester.

"I love playing for this football club and there are a lot of games between now and the end of January so hopefully my performance has planted a seed and we'll see where that takes us."

Chester's knee problems began when he played for Wales against Denmark in November 2018.

He continued to play for Villa while carrying the injury through until late January, when the club were able to add to their central defensive options in the transfer market.

"Ipswich at home was my last game and from the first minute to the 90th minute I didn't enjoy it at all," Chester added.

"I was just looking forward to the final whistle to be honest because of what I'd put my body through.

"I felt it was likely to have an effect on my performance and I was doing myself an injustice I think.

"The longer the time went on I feared that might have been my lasting memory of playing for this club but thankfully the last 10 or 11 months have all been worth it."

After resting his knee, Chester returned to Villa training in the closing stages of last season but then picked up a hamstring problem in pre-season ahead of this campaign.

The former Hull City player told BBC Sport Wales in the summer that he remains hopeful of adding to his 35 Wales caps, and he could well come into Ryan Giggs' thinking ahead of Euro 2020 if he can stay fit.

Chester's Villa contract expires at the end of the season.