Jack Senior could not take the smile off his face after making his first start for Rovers since returning from injury.
Senior was back at left back in his first start in six weeks - and picked up his first win in Rovers colours as they saw off Grimsby Town.
Speaking to the media in the aftermath, Senior could not hide his excitement, even as he detailed the difficult moments of the last couple of months.
He said: “It’s been a tough time for me. It’s my first injury of this kind of magnitude for a couple of years. It took me by surprise because I was trying to get through it. When I finally realised it was more serious than I thought, it was tough to get my head around.
“The lads who have been there on the pitch, who have been going out there and doing their job to the best of their ability, week in, week out, you can’t fault their effort and application they’ve put in.
“It’s frustrating to watch in the aspect of wanting to be out there, fighting alongside your team mates. I’m just so happy to be back.
“It’s my first taste of a win after the tricky to start of the season, so it’s even more sweet for me.
“You have a lot of time to think when you’re injured. The main thing was doing everything I could to get back and do my part for the team. To have a taste of it on Tuesday night, it wasn’t the best result but you want to be out there.
“To get my start, after being out, I was just buzzing for the game to start. To top it off with three points and a clean sheet, happy days.”
Senior said Rovers’ impressive recent run made him even more excited to return to action.
“You’re coming into a team where the standards have been set,” he said. “Players are going to expect you to come in and get up to standards quickly. I knew that any way.
“The lads have been putting a good run together while I’ve been out. There’s been some unfortunate results but it’s been mainly positive so coming into it, there’s a bit of excitement and you’re itching to be part of it and I was."
