Callum Wilson finally returned to action for Newcastle United last night coming off the bench in the 2-0 defeat to West Ham United.
It seemed almost inevitable that Wilson would make his return against the side he has such a good goal-scoring record against, and the former England man almost won his side a penalty after being wrestled to the floor by Konstantinos Mavrapanos, but the referee and VAR weren't having it.
Wilson picked up a back injury in the summer and his return to the first-team has been delayed several times causing a lot of frustration to fans but also Wilson himself.
Now that he's made his return, though, Wilson is only looking forward as he looks to put his 'torrid' time behind him.
Speaking to NUFC TV last night, Wilson set out his aims of getting back amongst the goals this season and helping Newcastle to kick on.
“It’s been a torrid time to be honest but I’m glad to be back. I’ve worked hard to get to this point and appreciate all the help from the staff and those who have helped me on the journey.
“I thank everybody at home for their patience as well. My season has started now so it’s time to start putting some goals in the back of the net and helping the team.
“For me, it’s about building and today was an opportunity to do that. First game West Ham a team that I have scored goals throughout my career against so I was looking forward to that.
“It wasn’t meant to be but I have a personal target of goals to get into the 100 club this year and it’s something that has been long overdue to get going but I’m sure sooner or later I’ll get back on the scoresheet and start building towards that.”
With Newcastle struggling for goals this season, it's good to see Wilson back in the mix, although we're all wondering how long it will last before he's back on the sidelines again.
We'll cross that bridge when we come to it, though, for now, let's just enjoy having options up front again, and hopefully, Wilson's return will light that fire under Isak.
The lack of competition for places up front has been a huge issue and history has shown us just how much better both Isak and Wilson play when their place in the team is under threat.
PL | GD | PTS | ||
---|---|---|---|---|
1 |
Liverpool
|
12 | 16 | 31 |
2 |
Manchester City
|
12 | 5 | 23 |
3 |
Chelsea
|
12 | 9 | 22 |
4 |
Arsenal
|
12 | 9 | 22 |
5 |
Brighton
|
12 | 5 | 22 |
6 |
Tottenham Hotspur
|
12 | 14 | 19 |
7 |
Nottingham Forest
|
12 | 2 | 19 |
8 |
Aston Villa
|
12 | 0 | 19 |
9 |
Fulham
|
12 | 0 | 18 |
10 |
Newcastle United
|
12 | 0 | 18 |
11 |
Brentford
|
12 | 0 | 17 |
12 |
Manchester United
|
12 | 0 | 16 |
13 |
Bournemouth
|
12 | -1 | 15 |
14 |
West Ham United
|
12 | -4 | 15 |
15 |
Everton
|
12 | -7 | 11 |
16 |
Leicester
|
12 | -8 | 10 |
17 |
Wolves
|
12 | -8 | 9 |
18 |
Ipswich
|
12 | -10 | 9 |
19 |
Crystal Palace
|
12 | -7 | 8 |
20 |
Southampton
|
12 | -15 | 4 |