Tawanda Chirewa described an “amazing feeling” after his first goal in professional football was a match winner for Wolves at Burnley.
The Zimbabwe international has been at Molineux since 2023, but has had to be patient for his chance, which arrived off the bench at Turf Moor. Sent through by Mateus Mane, Chirewa’s effort had enough power to loop in and fire Wolves to victory.
The result banished the memory of back-to-back defeats this week and gets the Old Gold back on track, and came via a gritty performance from all involved, both from the start and off the bench, according to Chirewa.
On bagging his first professional goal
“It’s an amazing feeling. I’m just happy that the team won today and got back on the right track. When I was running through, I just wanted to score. I knew in my head that I was going to score the goal. When the goalkeeper got a touch to it, I thought maybe I was unlucky, but thankfully it still went in. It was a big moment.”
On taking his chance
“I’m not going to lie and say the season has been amazing for me. I think I started off well when I played and felt as though I had a good impact. Obviously, there was a spell when I didn’t play for a few games or wasn’t in the squad.
“Today, before the game it was a big one because of the injuries we had. The team needed more attacking threat, and I felt as though I had been ready this season. I just hope I gave the manager something to think about.
“The squad is big, so I know it’s not going to be easy, but I made an impact. Everyone has to go out there and give everything, so I’m going to do whatever it takes.”
What a night for Tawanda 🐺 https://t.co/dJxcki6zl4
— Wolves (@Wolves) October 16, 2026
On a big win for the group
“It was a massive result. The last two games haven’t been our best performances, and today we all said that the performance didn’t matter as much as the result. We got the win, got back on the right track and found some momentum. On Tuesday, we go again and try to get another win. Then we keep going and keep getting results.”
On the beauty of the Championship
“That’s what makes it so good. We played only a few days ago and now we’ve come to Burnley, a tough place to come, and done the business. Now we go again on Tuesday. It’s not as if we have to wait a long time. We have only a few days before we play again, so we have to keep going through the slog of the season.”
On the strength of the squad
“We have a big squad with a lot of talented players. Compared with other teams in the Championship, I don’t think many have the same depth that we have. That’s our biggest strength.
“We can lose four or five players to injury and still come to Burnley away from home, get a result and win without feeling disappointed about the players who are missing, because everyone is ready to go out and perform.”
On looking to build momentum
“Everyone knows it’s a good result today, and we can be happy about it. But tomorrow we’re back in training and preparing for Tuesday. Portsmouth at home is a big game. If we win that, it’s two in a row, then we can try to make it three in a row and start building momentum again.”
On celebrating at the end
“I’ve been waiting for this for a while, to be fair. I feel as though I’ve been around the first team for quite a few years now, and the fans have stuck by the team. I wanted to give something back to them.
“Ever since I came through with the first team under Gary O’Neil, and now with the current manager, I’ve always wanted to help this team get a big result away from home. I can’t wait to go again on Tuesday and try to put in another performance that makes them happy.”
