Speaking after the win against Nottingham Forest, Matty Wolfe expressed his delight at making his Barnsley debut.
The young midfielder has come through the ranks at Oakwell and has been knocking on the first team door for a couple of years now, but he is thrilled to have finally reached this milestone.
“I’m over the moon,” beamed Wolfe. “I can’t even describe it. It’s just like a blur and the next thing you know you’re on the pitch – the adrenaline kicks in and you’re ready to go and help the team.
“It still feels surreal now, after the game, but we got the three points and that’s the most important thing today.
“I didn’t have a clue I’d be playing. To be fair, this is the only game where I thought he wouldn’t throw me on because it’s so important. But, when he shouted me over, I was just buzzing to come on and try and help the lads.”
Wolfe had only been on the pitch for five minutes before he came agonisingly close to putting Barnsley ahead.
The 20-year-old reacted quickest after Jacob Brown’s shot had ricocheted off the cross bar, but saw his effort cleared off the line as the Reds pushed for that elusive winner.
“I think I’d have run around the pitch, taken my top off, slid about and that,” he laughed. “But we got the three points and need to focus on Wednesday now.
“We had to win – we knew we had to win. Patrick put it in the back of the net, all credit to him, and it was just an amazing feeling celebrating, then holding on for the last few minutes was nerve wracking. But we were buzzing to finish it off.”
It has been a tough few years for Wolfe, who has had more than his fair share of injury troubles as he has looked to establish himself in the senior set-up.
His talent, however, is something that has never been in doubt, and he is just one of a few youngsters who are making their mark. The future is bright at Oakwell.
“There’s been points where I’ve been low, but you’ve got to keep working; football is a hard profession and you’ve got to keep going and I’m buzzing to get that opportunity,” asserted the debutant.
“We’re all there, all the youngsters. Romal has been excellent; he’s a great player, Marshy is on the bench and hopefully he’ll get his chance because he’s been brilliant in training, so it’s a good group of young lads.”
You can watch Matty's full interview on iFollow Barnsley.