Aneke: 'I want to be on the pitch impacting games'

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Chuks Aneke was thrilled to make his first appearance of the season at Stevenage last weekend.

The striker, who has been sidelined with a hamstring injury sustained during pre-season, was introduced by Michael Appleton as a 76th-minute substitute, replacing Miles Leaburn.

“It was really good to be back out there on Saturday," said Aneke. "I’ve had a lot of time inside the physio room working hard and I felt sharp. It was great to have an impact on the game.

“The gaffer told me to just put myself about and that’s what I tried to do: get on and be a physical presence.

“Even when I was warming up at the beginning of the game I could hear the fans singing my name. It definitely helps and it’s amazing to have that support. I’ve had a hard time with injuries so for the fans to support me like that means a lot. When the fans are behind you it gives you that extra 10%.

"I want to be on the pitch impacting games," he added. "The last year-and-a-half has been topsy-turvy for me. I want to get that consistency and rhythm on the pitch, keep playing and enjoy my football.

“Whether I start or come off the bench, I want to be a threat and score and create goals. I want to be direct and get the ball forward. The squad compliments each other well. We've got some dangerous players and once it comes together and we get some consistency we can really push forward."

Looking ahead to Saturday's contest with the Chairboys, Aneke said: “We’re expecting it to be like any other game. They will come here and be very competitive - it's a League One game.

"There are three points up for grabs so they will want to come here and fight and get about us, so we have to match them and give more at the end of the day.

“The mood in training has been really good," the 30-year-old continued. "We’re training at quite a high intensity and we're in a good place. There is no reason why we can’t get the win. We need to go out there and express ourselves; if we go out there and believe in ourselves we can get three points.

“I’m really looking forward to it. I enjoy playing at The Valley - the fans are always supportive and I’ve been out so I'm raring to go."

Click here to purchase your tickets for this weekend's match against Wycombe in SE7.

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