Aston Villa owner Dr Tony Xia issued a message to midfielder Conor Hourihane last night, from his personal Twitter account.

Hourihane scored his first goal for Villa last night, in a 2-0 victory over struggling Bristol City, and was quick to take to social media to express his feelings.

This prompted a reply from Villa’s owner Xia, who left a simple message to Hourihane, encouraging the midfielder to “keep going.”

Hourihane sealed last night’s victory over City, doubling Villa’s lead in the second-half, after Jonathan Kodjia had opened the scoring.

It has been a disappointing start to life at Villa Park for Hourihane, who joined Villa during the January transfer window from Barnsley.

Following his transfer, Villa suffered five consecutive defeats, increasing fears that the club may be dragged into a relegation battle.

Last night’s victory, combined with Saturday’s triumph over Derby County, moved Steve Bruce’s side to 15th in the Sky Bet Championship table, nine-points clear of the relegation zone.

Next up for Villa is a trip to bottom of the table Rotherham United, where Hourihane and his teammates will be hoping to build on their back-to-back victories.

Villa fans… How important will Hourihane be to your club’s success in the future? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below!