Best debuts

[peter w]

Stuart Gray (Andy Gray the II as well?)

[Lobsterboy]

I always remember Heskey scoring from about 20 yards on his debut and thinking he was going to be a great signing.

Shows how much I knew!

I think Dion Dublin's debut was probably the best I have ever seen and he went on a run of scoring something like 7-8 goals in his first 4-5 games I think

[cdbearsfan]

Darius Vassell, scored two in about ten minutes after coming on, to turn the game against... Stromsgodset?

Pongo Waring hat-trick on reserve debut against Small Heath, in front of 23,000, before adding a goal on his actual debut.

[stuart r]

Zat Knight. Dunno if he had a great game but I remember he scored on his debut in a win against Chelsea having scored an own goal when playing for Fulham against us the previous week. Didn't go that well for him after that but that must have been a sweet moment. Villa fan scoring in front of the Holte on his debut. Pinnacle of achievement.  S'pose it could only have gone downhill after that.

[Pat McMahon]

Tommy Craig was excellent in his debut, scoring a 30 yarder v Everton around 1978. He was utter bobbins after that.

[PeterWithesShin]

Darius Vassell, scored two in about ten minutes after coming on, to turn the game against... Stromsgodset?

Yep, although it was his third appearance.

[Lastfootstamper]

Robert Hopkins, he got off to a bit of a flier.

[eric woolban woolban]

Didn't Dublin nearly score three hat tricks, insofar as the wrongly ruled out offside goal against Spurs and a missed penalty against Liverpool.

[LukeJames]

Zat Knight. Dunno if he had a great game but I remember he scored on his debut in a win against Chelsea having scored an own goal when playing for Fulham against us the previous week. Didn't go that well for him after that but that must have been a sweet moment. Villa fan scoring in front of the Holte on his debut. Pinnacle of achievement.  S'pose it could only have gone downhill after that.

Sorry to be a pedant, it was the North Stand 

[cdbearsfan]

Darius Vassell, scored two in about ten minutes after coming on, to turn the game against... Stromsgodset?

Yep, although it was his third appearance.

Brilliant debut though, if you don't count the first two games.

[Godfrey Brian]

I confidently predicted that Graham Fenton would make the England team having witnessed his debut v Man City on a snowy Villa Park evening in February 1994 (0-0). He probably peaked a couple of games later when Big Ron picked him for the League Cup Final team. Oh well England's loss and all that..........