Having celebrated scoring the goal which saw Wolves win their first match of the season by announcing his wife’s pregnancy, Sasa Kalajdzic believes his fortunes are beginning to turn after a tough first 12 months in Old Gold.
The striker suffered an ACL injury on his debut back in September and has spent the best part of the last year recovering in a bid to return to the side. But having come off the bench in the closing stages of Wolves’ latest Premier League clash with Everton and net the goal which earned his team all three points, the Austrian striker struggled to contain his delight.
On a first win of the season
“I think it’s massive. It’s important for us that we gain confidence because I think we played well against Man United, against Brighton it was not so good, and hopefully we can get a confident boost and this brings us up in the table, so it’s perfect for us.
“A lot of bad things have happened over the last year, but that’s why I’m even more happy that things are going like this now. It means a lot to me, but I’m healthy and that’s the first thing that I’m very glad and I’m very thankful that this is the case, and I just want to continue like this.
“I always think positive, and I’m going to enjoy the moment even more. But I need to keep working hard and put effort into everything.”
On scoring the winner off the bench
“It was a special moment. I’m really happy and really relieved with how things have gone today. I was just focused and he [O’Neil] said some little tactical things, but really just score. I just wanted to score and that’s what happened. I have no idea what happened. I just saw that it had gone in and I didn’t care.
“It was just amazing. Scoring in the last minute or scoring a winning goal is always a great feeling and the way things have gone for me during the last 12 months and the way things are going right now I’m just happy.
“For strikers, I think the opening goal is always the hardest, and now it’s about continuing and I will try to do that. But in the end, it’s about the team. Even if it’s just the beginning, but just to get confidence, because when a team is getting sharper and getting better, I profit from that as well, so I’m happy for the team.
“I’m happy that I’m healthy and I’m happy that we have won, and I hope we can continue like this. It’s good that today has gone like this and we can celebrate, but tomorrow we will be focusing again.”
On an important team performance
“It was a big team effort. From the goalkeeper to the striker everyone tried everything and tried to be compact, that was the plan.
“Sa kept us in the game, in the whole game, but also Pickford, so both goalies were having a big impact, but the luck was on our side.
“The last game against Brighton was not so good, we didn’t have organisation as we should have, and I think today was much better. We were lucky sometimes though I think Everton were lucky as well, and there were good chances for both sides, but they were unlucky as well.”
A perfect way to get off the mark 🇦🇹🔥 pic.twitter.com/OoYRe2sVOV
— Wolves (@Wolves) August 26, 2023
On coming to the end of his recovery
“I’ve been out for almost a year so now it’s about going step by step upwards, and getting more minutes it will be even better.
“When you’re recovering all you think about is coming back and doing this. During the rehab, you’re in the crowd or just at home and watching the games, and you think you just want to do it now, you want to be there, you want to be ready and I want to have many more moments like this.
“It was tough. Very tough, hard and challenging, but I’ve worked really hard, as have everyone around me at the club and at home, so that makes today even more special. But I just want to continue like this.
“It’s been a long journey for me, so this is a good start to a new journey.”
On his celebration
“I tried to wait for the perfect moment and I think everything went for me today. It was two birds with one stone. I tried to find the perfect moment to celebrate that with everyone. My missus was in the crowd, but I couldn’t find her! She’s seen it though.
“It’s very good news for me and for my fiancée. We’re really happy and I tried to keep it for a special occasion.
“I think we are half way [through pregnancy]. We have the envelope, but we don’t know what it might be. We’re thinking about what we will do, but for me, it doesn’t matter if it’s a boy or a girl, I just want it to be healthy.
“We plan on revealing the gender at some point but that’s for us, not for you! It’s step by step for playing and we’ll take this step by step as well.”
