West Bromwich Albion captain Darren Fletcher has said that last season's pitch invasion at the end of their 2-0 FA Cup quarter-final defeat to Aston Villa at Villa Park will motivate his side for tomorrow's league clash.
Albion return to the home of their rivals for the first time since losing twice in the space of a week in March, the second defeat of which was followed by home fans running onto the pitch in scenes which ultimately resulted in Villa being fined £200,000 by the Football Association.
The 31-year-old Scot was cup-tied for the cup contest, but says that his side will use the defeat and what followed it to drive them on to victory on Saturday.
"It was a difficult week and things happened that should not happen on football pitches," he told The Mirror. "We have got to use that to motivate us to help us get the result.
"I'm looking forward to it. I experienced it last year — the passion and the atmosphere was fantastic and it is up to us to go and meet that challenge and give our fans something to shout about."
Villa boss Tim Sherwood has asked the club's fans not to repeat the invasion from last year if his side come out on top again, as both sides look for just their second Premier League win of the season.
Tom Nightingale
