Given joy at being back in big time

SHAY GIVEN celebrated his first Barclays Premier League game for almost 16 months with a clean sheet before declaring: “It’s nice to feel wanted again.”

The Republic of Ireland international put his Manchester City nightmare behind him with a stellar debut for Aston Villa in their otherwise disappointing goalless draw at Fulham on the opening day of the season on Saturday.

“Last year was frustrating — it’s probably well-documented and the word’s overused at this stage. But it’s nice to be back and nice to feel wanted again and feel part of the team and be playing in front of big crowds again.”