Cesar Peixoto believed that Friday’s win at Burnley was a “victory for the whole squad”.
The head coach rang the changes – six from midweek – and brought further fresh faces off the bench, and one was Tawanda Chirewa, who scored the winner off the bench at Turf Moor.
Almost all of Peixoto’s squad played during three matches in the space of the week, and the Portuguese paid tribute to his players, and the attitude they showed to come from behind and earn a big win in Lancashire.
On an important victory at Burnley
“It was very important. I think we deserved to win. We were the better team. In the first 20 minutes, we could have done better, but after that we managed the game, adapted to some things and I think the players understood what they had to do. They had the right mentality.
“We finished the first half better than Burnley and, in the second half, we were the better team. We could have scored more goals, but for me the most important thing today was the mentality.
“This is the mentality I want the team to have in every game, because when we have this kind of mentality, it’s very difficult to play against us.”
On the whole squad being utilised
“I think it’s a victory for the whole squad. In the last three games, almost all of the players have played. It’s a victory for the right mentality, especially in a difficult moment for the squad.
“We don’t have Raul or Adam, and we have a lot of players injured. We played Sean, we played Tawanda, and the young players did well. Mane, Nasser – a lot of young players have played very well. It’s important because, for me, we deserved more in the last game.
“If you look at the statistics, we were better in almost every area of the game, but Bolton scored and we didn’t. Today, we won, but it’s only three points. We have to rest and work hard because now we have three games at home. We have to make the difference at home.
“We need our supporters to get behind the team and these players, because they work very hard to bring happiness to the supporters.”
On Chirewa and Neave’s impact
“I’m very pleased because he [Chirewa] works well and he’s waited for his opportunity. He played a lot of pre-season as a striker for us because Adam was injured and Raul came back later from the World Cup. We did almost all of pre-season without our strikers, and Tawanda played well in those games. In training, he also shows commitment and a desire to learn different positions to become a better player.
“Today, he took his opportunity and did very well. He scored, but it’s not only because he scored. He worked hard for the team. And it wasn’t only Tawanda. Sean and all the other players worked hard too. I think this was a victory for the whole team.”
On looking to build momentum now
“It’s important, but all the games are important and all the games are difficult. I know we’re playing at home and we want to be the main characters in the game, like we want to be in every game. But we have to stay focused because it’s going to be difficult, for sure.
“We’re going to try to win and manage the game. We want to be the team that takes control. But sometimes the opposition has quality too. The Championship is like that. Every team can beat every other team. Now we have to rest, then focus and work hard to try to win the next game.”
