Tawanda Chirewa believes his debut season in gold and black has been ‘decent’ having quickly progressed from the under-21s into a first-team squad regular having moved to Molineux last summer.
The 20-year-old signed in September after coming through the youth ranks at Ipswich Town but having joined the club without the expectations of immediate first-team football, the forward has gone on to prove a step above academy level, having scored five times in seven outings for the development team.
Injuries to several key attacking players in Gary O’Neil’s squad gave Chirewa an opportunity to show what he can do in gold and black, and after impressing this week in the defeats to Arsenal and Bournemouth, it’s a chance he’s not willing to let slip.
On his first season at Wolves
“I would say it’s been a decent season, I wouldn’t say it’s been amazing. It’s been decent. I have to give the gaffer all the thanks for giving me the opportunity to play Premier League football which is not something I came into this season, having just come over from Ipswich, thinking I was guaranteed to play.
“I came to show Wolves and show everyone if I was ready to play in the Premier League and the gaffer has given me the opportunity to do that, so I have to give him all the thanks I can give him.
“I just try to take everything in my stride and keep giving my all every day because if I want to play Premier League football, I’ve got to be ready, so I can’t dwell on things for too long and think about what’s been good and what’s been bad.”
On making his full debut against Arsenal
“It was a proud moment for me and my family. Everyone was there and I enjoyed it. It was obviously a tough challenge because it was against Arsenal, a top team in the Premier League, but I really enjoyed it.
“I enjoyed playing against the best players in the world and that’s where I want to be, I want to be as good as them, so it was good to see how good some of those players are, see how far off I am and the areas I need to work on to carry on pushing on. It was a big step up, but I felt as though I was ready for it.
“I felt like it was where I belong, it’s the level I want to be playing at and I loved every minute of it. Obviously, the pace of the game was fast, and the players were better, but I felt like if I want to be at this level week in, week out, I had to adapt to it and show the players, the fans and the staff how good I am and what I can add to the team.”
On guidance from his teammates
“When I first started to come into the squad to train with them every day, a lot of the senior players at the club really helped me. But over the last couple of months, Mario [Lemina] has been helping me day-to-day and giving me advice before games and after games, and what I can do. He told me to just go out there and show everyone how good I can be.
“Obviously, the players see me train and he is there to give me advice and guide me forward, so he helps me a lot. Pablo [Sarabia] is also good as well because we play in the same position, and he’s been helping me with little details in the position and where I need to be, but the skipper [Kilman] is brilliant as well and he helps me a lot, so a lot of players have been helping me.”
On net letting the season peter out
“It was a tough game for us [against Bournemouth]. The first half was obviously not one of the best first halves and it was kind of our slowest starts to the games, and we didn’t adapt to the way they were playing quickly enough. We improved in the second half, but it wasn’t enough to get the result we wanted, so it was a tough day at the office for everyone and now we have to go again on Saturday.
“I wouldn’t say there’s a fear in us at the training ground or at the club. Obviously, we haven’t been in our best form as we have been for the majority of the season, but I’m confident that we can pick it up on Saturday, get back to winning ways and try to end the season on a high.
“Top half is the aim, and although we’ve had this little spell where we’ve not been getting the best results, but all of the players and the staff, we just know that we will get back to winning ways on Saturday and give the fans something to look forward to for next season.”
On facing Luton at Molineux
“They’ve done very well, but for us, we don’t really look too much about the team’s we’re playing against. We don’t think about how well the other teams have done this season, because when we’re at our best, I don’t think there are many teams who can live with us.
“We’ve just got to try and get back to that level, because when we do that, we can pull big wins off – especially here at Molineux with the fans behind us. We’re going to try again on Saturday and it will be a brilliant crowd there and I feel as though we will get the job done.”
