Fleetwood Town midfielder Josh Vela spoke to the Club after scoring the winning goal in the 2-1 victory over Dundee United.
Town’s summer signing Vela latched onto Cian Hayes’ through ball with two-minutes left on the clock to slot the ball past the Terrors’ keeper.
Saturday was the first time the Cod Army got to watch their team on home soil, with eyes now all looking ahead to Port Vale on the opening day of the Sky Bet League One season.
Here is what Vela had to say after the match:
On scoring the all-important goal…
“It was a nice feeling to get a goal and my first for this Club. I was thinking I wasn’t going to grab one today with my effort ten-minutes earlier nearly ending up in the Irish Sea.
“Cian [Hayes] did really well in the build-up and as the ball was coming towards me, I had time to just set myself up and concentrate on striking it well and getting it on target and I did just that.
“I would like to add more goals to my game. I do say this at every Club I have been at, but today’s a good start and hopefully I can carry that on into the season.”
On the partnership with Wiredu and Batty…
“The midfield has a bit of everything! Brendan is a big strong lad who is very good on the ball, he gets stuck in and with me I can do that side of the game as well and with Batty, you have someone whose very technical on the ball.
“He likes to get on the ball, switch the play and that’s what you want in a midfield, something that has a bit of everything. We have worked hard in pre-season on shape and that was shown today.”
On pre-season and looking ahead to the new season…
“Pre-season is all about hard work and obviously it has been tough, but on the other side it has been enjoyable.
“On a personal level, I have come to a new Club and with the lads here, it has been easy to settle in and they are just a great group to work with. I have thoroughly enjoyed my time here thus far, but we are ready for the new season.
“We won’t get carried away with the win today. Dundee United are a very good side but we know it’s only pre-season, it’s about getting minutes into our legs and also picking up a winning mentality which we need to keep going and put into that first game against Port Vale
Get ready for the new season with an Onward Card
Make sure you are in the stands to watch the Cods during the 2022/23 Sky Bet League One season by getting your very own Onward Card. Adult tickets start at just £14.17 a month and Under-16s from just £1.92 a month. Details on this season's cards are HERE.