Devon's Ollie Watkins 'speechless' after scoring on England debut
Devon's Ollie Watkins said he was "speechless" after scoring on his England debut.
The striker came off the bench to score the fifth goal in a 5-0 thrashing of San Marino.
25-year-old Watkins came through the Exeter City academy system and now plays for Premier League side Aston Villa.
It has been a meteoric rise for Watkins.
He grew up in Newton Abbot and just over six years ago was playing on loan at Weston-super-Mare in front of around 150 supporters.
But returning to Exeter City and subsequent moves to Brentford and Aston Villa have paved the way to the international stage.
The striker said after last night's game that he had "dreamt all day" about scoring on his first appearance for the Three Lions.
Watkins has received many messages of support from both Exeter City and the club's fans.
As well as pride, there was also a financial reason for the Grecians to be happy.
When Watkins was sold to Brentford in 2017, it was agreed that City would receive 15 per cent of any future income Brentford received for the player.
With Brentford adding their own clauses into Watkins' transfer to Aston Villa, the knock-on effect means City receive £75,000 for each England sub appearance the striker makes (until Brentford receive £5m from Villa).
England continue their World Cup qualifying campaign against Albania and Poland, with Watkins hoping to make the next of many appearances to come.
Read more: