Gavin Bazunu was delighted to bounce back and make his mark at Wanderers in match-winning style.
Summer signing Bazunu produced an inspired display as the Whites beat Cardiff City 1-0 to record their second Championship win of the season.
Bazunu’s string of saves earned him the Player of the Match prize as the run-away winner of the fans’ vote and came on the back of a Wanderers’ debut which saw the Republic of Ireland international blaming himself for West Ham’s mid-week winner.
“It was a really enjoyable one, especially, after Tuesday night where I felt like I played really well, apart from, obviously, the third goal,” said Bazunu, who had allowed Jarrod Bowen’s second goal of the night to elude his dive in a 3-2 loss.
“Unfortunately, that's the life of a goalkeeper. You can have a lot of good moments but sometimes the game can be defined by one poor one. Just one lapse of concentration can be punished in that moment.
“So to be able to have a game where I've worked so hard can be a really good one to come into and show my quality. I was happy to be able to contribute to the team. It's definitely one I enjoyed a lot and hopefully I can continue to build on it.”
Bazunu had played only half-a-dozen games on loan at Stoke City in the second half of last season prior to his move from Southampton to Wanderers in August.
But the 24-year-old former Premier League performer – who had previously made almost 100 appearances for the Saints after moving from Manchester City – looked back to his best in Saturday’s win over Cardiff.
His top save was a stunning close-range stop from Yousef Salech’s second-half header before Wanderers struck late through Thierry Gale’s header to end a four-game losing run and get them looking up again ahead of Saturday’s trip to Norwich City.
“That’s just football and that's just this league in general,” added Bazunu, who also needed to make a flying injury-time save from Callum Robinson to complete a clean sheet and get Steven Schumacher’s men over the line.
“You’re under the cosh for so many minutes in the second half and to go up the other end, fair play to us for sticking in the game and being able to take a chance when it came.
“The manager mentioned that after the game it's probably our poorest performance in the last five games. Definitely since I've been here we've played so well in other games and not got on the right side of the scoreline, so to be able to have that one when you don't play well, I think it's an even bigger boost for morale.
“For me, I want to be part of a group who looks forward. You don't want to be looking over a shoulder and I think we've showed that with the level of quality of opposition we've played, and how we've played against them, that we can really compete in this league.”
Watch Bazunu’s full interview on Wanderers TV