Reggae Boyz and Aston Villa winger Leon Bailey hopes his first goal of the season can help him rediscover the form he showed last season.

Bailey scored the winner on Saturday against Leicester City as Aston Villa secured their fourth victory in five home games.

It was his first strike since April that saw off the 2015-16 Premier League champions, beating Jakub Stolarczyk from close range after being picked out by Ian Maatsen from inside the box.

The 27-year-old played an instrumental role in helping Villa finish fourth and reach the Europa Conference League semi-final last term, scoring 14 goals and recording 14 assists in all competitions.

After opening his account in the club's first match in 2025, Bailey wants to use his winning goal as a springboard for consistency in the remaining four months of the season.

"I’m feeling great, it is one of the most difficult things to get off the mark and I am so delighted I was able to do it," Bailey said.

"Hopefully things can change and 2025 is my year. It is our first win of the year and we hope we can continue getting back to where we need to be. It wasn’t the best first part of the season but hopefully in the second half we can turn things around and get back to where we need to be,” he added.

Bailey has started 12 of Villa's 20 league games this campaign after dealing with several injury problems and niggles since the end of August.

The Jamaican has admitted that his injury struggles have impacted his confidence but, with his goal on the weekend, he believes he has turned a corner.

"Players get injured and sometimes you don’t have confidence coming back from injury," the winger said.

"I have had a groin injury and two hamstring injuries. It is common knowledge when a player is stop-start, stop-start with injuries, coming back, your confidence level drops. It is normal. No player is coming back from injury with their confidence levels over the moon,” he added.

With that said, Bailey hopes that these nagging injuries are now a thing of the past.

"I have had three injuries this season and I am still there, still trying to come back. But I am back now and that is the most important thing. I am off the mark and let’s hope there are no more injuries for the rest of the season and we can rack up the goals and assists as much as possible," he said.

"That’s my character. I will try to play through and help the team as much as possible. If the coach needs me to be there I will try to be as ready as possible. Sometimes, you can’t. You have to let your body dictate what you can and can’t do. Sometimes I am pushing myself too much and need to chill. But I am alright now, I am fine and back,” he added.

Bailey also gave credit to manager Unai Emery as well as his teammates for continuing to have confidence in him despite his struggles.

"The manager always tries to give the players confidence. It is not just me but all the players. He is a great manager. He knows how to get his team going. He knows the players who need to get confidence, who have been struggling,” Bailey said.

"It is teammates as well. Everyone helps play a part in everyone trying to be at their best. He wasn’t saying much, he was just trying to bring confidence," he added.