Football: Collymore confident of more success

Stan Collymore defended his record with Liverpool yesterday before setting his sights on terrorising Premiership defences with Aston Villa in the new season.

Brian Little's pounds 7m club record signing denies that he failed to do himself justice at Anfield when he and Robbie Fowler scored 102 goals between them in two seasons.

And now Collymore is aiming to reap havoc in similar fashion in partnership with Dwight Yorke, who has looked in superb form with five goals in two pre-season matches against Wycombe and Partick Thistle.

Collymore said: "People say I left Liverpool without making the fullest impact, but in the first season myself and Robbie Fowler were the top partnership goal-wise in the Premier League.

"Then last season only Alan Shearer and Les Ferdinand of Newcastle scored more goals so I don't think my time at Liverpool was that bad. Now I'm hoping that playing alongside Dwight Yorke will yield as many goals as Stan Collymore-Robbie Fowler did together."

Collymore is also desperate to regain his England place, although he has put any thoughts in that direction on the back-burner as he strives to make a flying start with Villa.

"If I do well enough to be able to get back into the England frame then all well and good, but first and foremost I'm concentrating on doing well with Villa," he said.