After netting his first league goal for Rovers since 25th November 2017, which was the winner at Ewood Park against Bristol Rovers in League One, an overjoyed Dominic Samuel discussed the relief and delight he felt after netting his first goal in 808 days – and Rovers’ third in their 3-0 home victory against Hull City – following his year-long injury layoff.
“The goal was a very special moment for me. It was a great feeling to have, especially after the injury I’ve had and the fact that I’ve had to wait for my chance to get into the team. I managed to get my chance today and I took it by scoring, which I’m overly delighted with and I’m happy that I could get the goal and help the team towards securing the victory. As a striker, you always have to be alert to potential mistakes by opponents and thankfully I capitalised on their ‘keeper’s mistake. You don’t get many chances in-front of goal in tough games, so when you do, you have to be clinical and capitalise on your opportunities and the mistakes opponents might make, which is what I did. I just made sure to hit the target and thankfully it went in. Goals like that are big for any player, especially after you’ve been out for so long and waited for your chance in the side. You have to keep working hard on your recovery and in training whilst also thinking positively and eventually, your hard work will pay off, as it did for me tonight. I think having that determination is good because in any part of life, you know that if you continue to work hard at whatever you’re doing, you’re eventually going to get the results your work deserve, so I’m happy that my hard work paid off with this goal.
“The celebration was a personal one because I’ve had a lot of pressure from people saying I need to score. As a footballer, you need to take that pressure and criticism on board, but don’t let it get the better of you. You always need to come onto the pitch with a positive mindset and ready to play your own game whilst also thinking about yourself and your teammates first, before thinking about any outside criticisms or pressure that’s been thrown at you. It’s been quite difficult not to play for such a long period. Playing games is what all footballers want, but with the quality within the squad that we’ve got, especially in the forward areas, you have to take your chance when it comes your way. There have been many times where I’ve been itching to get on the pitch and disappointed when I haven’t, but I know that I have to bide my time and continue improving my game whilst also supporting the forwards who are performing out on the pitch. Thankfully, the work that I’ve been doing in training caught the gaffer’s eye and I managed to capitalise on the opportunity he gave me.
“The fact that I’ve scored hasn’t really sunk in yet! It’ll probably hit me during the week, but right now that goal will be key for my confidence and it’s going to make me even more determined to want to work even harder during training in order to improve aspects of my game, like my finishing and hopefully that will help me when it comes to matchdays. With the stuff that I’ve been through, including the injury, you have to stay hungry and determined to continue the fight to get into the side and perform consistently. Just because I’ve scored one goal, that doesn’t mean I’m going to take my foot off the gas and relax, it’s going to make me even more excited and determined to continue working on my craft in training.
“Of course, it’s never good to have long-term injuries, but to put a positive on it, it can make you learn more about yourself and help you become more stronger mentally in addition to helping you work on your body, because the stronger you are, the less injuries you’re likely to get. I’ve not always been one to be in the gym, but this injury had made me more determined to get stronger and quicker in order to have more chances to play in games. It’s certainly matured me as a person, it’s turned me into more of a man and has forced me to take more responsibility regarding my fitness and recovery.
“In the context of our season, that was a massive win. Games like that, where you know you’re going to have most of the ball, are tough, but sometimes all it takes is one attack from the opponent and we find ourselves behind on the counter-attack. The team did brilliantly in keeping the ball well throughout the whole of the game and then we managed to score the goals. We’re now within touching distance of the playoffs, so hopefully we can keep the wins coming between now and the end of the season. You have to be relentless, both in matches and in training, but you have to been sticking at it, even if things don’t go your way.
“Arma (Adam Armstrong) was a perfect example of that, tonight. He had so many opportunities in the first-half and played magnificently, but he kept going and didn’t let his head drop and he was rewarded for that with a wonder goal. It was a great goal, but you don’t expect anything less from him, to be honest. Arma has always been fantastic for us, (Bradley) Dack is a big miss for us, but I think Arma’s taken on the job Dacky left behind and he’s done amazingly well as tonight showed.
“Everyone’s confident that we can make a late surge towards the playoffs. I think the difference between this year and last year, is that now we’re all focussed on each game as they come whereas last year, we probably looked too far ahead and lost concentration at the vital moment. Whether we’re playing a side towards the top or a team down at the bottom, we take each one very seriously and I think that’s what makes this season stand out from last season. Playing away from home is always tough and it’ll be no different against Charlton Athletic or Brentford in our next couple of games. I think this win tonight will put us in good stead, confidence-wise, heading into those fixtures.”
