Leon Chiwome admitted he will remember his Premier League debut for the rest of his life, despite the game ending in a disappointing defeat for Wolves away to Aston Villa.
The England under-18 international was brought into the starting line-up for the top flight clash at Villa Park having come off the bench in the FA Cup meeting with Coventry City two weeks previously, and although he was unable to help the Old Gold to three points in their West Midlands derby, the striker is determined not to take his time in the team for granted.
On the loss at Villa Park
“The first thing is that it’s a tough defeat to take. The team did well today and it’s frustrating not to take the three points, but I’m really grateful for the gaffer in giving me the opportunity and I’m going to remember this game for the rest of my life.
“It’s always hard when you come to Villa Park because it’s an amazing atmosphere and the fans are great for them, but the fans were really good for us today and well behind us.
“I had a couple of half chances that I could have done a few different things to make sure that I had a full chance, and maybe got a goal, but I can go back to the training ground and work on those things.”
On making his Premier League debut
“It was definitely a lot easier this time after coming on before, but there were signs and different scenarios that I was shown before so that I kind of had an idea that I would be starting, so that kind of eased it in the days before, but it was hard to get some sleep. I was just excited to get to work.
“My mum, my dad, my agent and my four younger brothers were all there and they’d travelled up from Brighton on the day, a four-and-a-half hour journey.
“They travelled up this morning and left at about 11, and they managed to be here just before the warm-up, so it was really nice to see them in the crowd. It was good motivation to do my best.”
On his senior journey
“It’s been quite a quick turnover, especially after making my debut against Coventry, because I flew out the next day to play for England, so I haven’t had much time to just think about it and celebrate with my family.
“But I’m definitely going to celebrate it, and we get two shirts after the game, so I kept one and I was able to get Ollie Watkins’ with my other one, so my brothers are definitely going to be excited with that one.”
Leon Chiwome set for his @premierleague debut 🐺 pic.twitter.com/cg9TxA7mhE
— Wolves (@Wolves) March 30, 2024
On making it to the top flight
“There’s always ups and downs in your journey and I think my dad gave me a choice when I got released from Brighton on trial, he said I can stop now or I can try again.
“I got to Wimbledon and that’s when the dream was kept alive. Then Wolves came in, did their job, got me to where I needed to be at and I’m very grateful to them.”
On what his future holds
“I’m just going to do my best. I know we’ve got a few injuries which has given a golden opportunity for me to come in and show what I’m about.
“But it’s time for me to just keep working hard, keep trying to impress the gaffer, listen to what he says and take in every bit of information on board.
“I’ve got to not take this chance for granted because you never know when your time’s up, so I’m very grateful to the coaching staff and the gaffer for giving me the opportunity, and hopefully I can get some more minutes soon.”
