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David Wheater has dedicated his goal against Millwall to former team-mate Ivan Klasnic after Wanderers won 2-0 away at Millwall on Tuesday night.
The defender finally got to reveal his "Get well soon Klas" t-shirt after volleying home late on at The Den, having worn it under his Bolton shirt in recent weeks since news of the former Trotters forward's current poor health first broke.
And having come close to opening his account for the season on a number of occasions, Wheater was pleased to get off the mark against the Lions.
"It’s been a long time coming!" the defender admitted to bwfc.co.uk after the final whistle. "I was saying last week that Klas would probably be better by the time I score! It’s nice to be able to show my appreciation and support for him and I do hope he’s getting better.
"I’ve been trying to get the headers all season and have been practising them in training, and then I score a volley from 20 yards!
"It was a great set-up by Gary and it’s up there with the best in my career. Any goal is nice and it was a tremendous feeling."
However, spoken like a true defender, Wheater admitted he was much happier to have kept a fourth consecutive clean sheet as Wanderers returned to Macron Stadium with all three points.
"Honestly, I’m happier with the clean sheet," he continued. "There’s no better feeling for a defender than getting a clean sheet. A goal is obviously nice, especially when it helps us get the victory, but clean sheets are always the best for me.
"I love games like these. They were putting balls in the box and Mark and I were just heading them away – it’s meat and drink for us. We can do that all day.
"We could have been playing all night, heading the ball out and clearing it. It’s brilliant but all the team tonight were tremendous. The two midfielders in front of us helped us out a lot and it was a great team performance.
"It’s a long journey, coming to Millwall, but getting the win always makes it worthwhile.
"The manager and coaching staff were telling us before the game that if you can get a win on a cold Tuesday night in London, then games like this can set you up for the season. It’s a top victory."
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The defender finally got to reveal his "Get well soon Klas" t-shirt after volleying home late on at The Den, having worn it under his Bolton shirt in recent weeks since news of the former Trotters forward's current poor health first broke.
And having come close to opening his account for the season on a number of occasions, Wheater was pleased to get off the mark against the Lions.
"It’s been a long time coming!" the defender admitted to bwfc.co.uk after the final whistle. "I was saying last week that Klas would probably be better by the time I score! It’s nice to be able to show my appreciation and support for him and I do hope he’s getting better.
"I’ve been trying to get the headers all season and have been practising them in training, and then I score a volley from 20 yards!
"It was a great set-up by Gary and it’s up there with the best in my career. Any goal is nice and it was a tremendous feeling."
However, spoken like a true defender, Wheater admitted he was much happier to have kept a fourth consecutive clean sheet as Wanderers returned to Macron Stadium with all three points.
"Honestly, I’m happier with the clean sheet," he continued. "There’s no better feeling for a defender than getting a clean sheet. A goal is obviously nice, especially when it helps us get the victory, but clean sheets are always the best for me.
"I love games like these. They were putting balls in the box and Mark and I were just heading them away – it’s meat and drink for us. We can do that all day.
"We could have been playing all night, heading the ball out and clearing it. It’s brilliant but all the team tonight were tremendous. The two midfielders in front of us helped us out a lot and it was a great team performance.
"It’s a long journey, coming to Millwall, but getting the win always makes it worthwhile.
"The manager and coaching staff were telling us before the game that if you can get a win on a cold Tuesday night in London, then games like this can set you up for the season. It’s a top victory."
Source