Why patience has been a virtue for on-loan Brighton & Hove Albion ace Caylan Vickers at Wigan Athletic
Caylan Vickers says he never lost faith or confidence in his ability during his long wait for his first Wigan Athletic start.
The 21-year-old forward - a January loan arrival from Premier League Brighton & Hove Albion - has spent much of his time at Wigan on the outside looking in.
But following a promising cameo off the bench in midweek against Plymouth Argyle, Vickers started for the first time against Bradford City on Saturday.
And he set Latics on the way to a much-needed 2-0 victory with a brilliant goal in the first half, capping a fine all-round display.
"I knew for a couple of days that I'd be starting," he said. "I've had to be patient since I've been here, but I kept working hard behind the scenes, and it's paid off.
"I always feel confident in myself, I know my ability, so I was ready to play and excited more than anything.
"You never know when the gaffer is going to put you in, you've just got to be ready to go whenever you get on to the pitch.
"Whether it's just 10 minutes or the whole game, I'm always confident in my ability to make an impression.
"It was really good to get the win, and personally for me to score the goal as well was great."
The win saw Latics move three points clear of the League One drop zone with 10 games to go.
"We feel we can beat anyone in this league if we play well," said Vickers. "It's about taking it game by game, winning the next one, then assessing the situation ahead of the next one."
Next up for Latics is Tuesday night’s trip to mid-table Barnsley – with whom Vickers spent the first half of the campaign on loan.
"I spent a few months there, so I know they've got some good players there with plenty of quality,” added Vickers, who scored two goals in 22 appearances for the Tykes.
"It'll be good to go back, and it should be a good game.”
But would he celebrate if he found the net again?
"I'll focus on getting a goal first before worrying about that,” he smiled.