Sean Neave scored twice as a late substitute to seal a 2-1 comeback win for Wolves against Bristol City on Wednesday night, prompting a message of praise from former Newcastle United captain Kieran Trippier.
Neave, who is on loan at the Championship club from Newcastle, had been waiting for his chance at Molineux, with competition for places including another ex-Magpie, Adam Armstrong. Introduced with Wolves trailing 1-0, the 20-year-old scored twice in the final 10 minutes to turn the game around.
Trippier's message
Trippier, who has taken Neave under his wing since his own move to Molineux, shared an image of Neave celebrating on Instagram with the caption: "Match winner Sean Neave. A special talent."
The performance was a reminder of the Academy graduate's ability, particularly with Newcastle's first-team strikers struggling for goals this season. Neave had been limited to just a few minutes in pre-season under head coach Matthias Jaissle, who preferred to give more game time to Yoane Wissa and William Osula.
Poacher's instincts
Both goals were true poacher efforts. In the 82nd minute, Neave was quickest to react after Armstrong's effort from a Trippier cross was only half parried, smashing home from a few yards out for his first senior goal. Rather than celebrating with the fans, he immediately grabbed the ball and sprinted back to the halfway line.
He almost grabbed the winner a few minutes later, firing wide of the target, but completed a supersub performance in the 89th minute with a diving header at the far post after a free kick had been headed back across the box. This time he celebrated wildly with the fans behind the goal as his double strike sent Wolves second in the Championship table, just a point behind leaders Middlesbrough, who lost at Wrexham.
Neave's reaction
"It means a lot," he told Sky Sports after the game. "I've got no words, really. I'm out of breath celebrating with the fans!"
"It means so much. I've worked so hard to get here. To come on and score a goal, in my opinion, would be a good game for me. To score two and win the game, I just wasn't expecting that."
On celebrating with the Wolves fans, he added: "Yes, I forgot where I was for a minute there. It means so much. The fans have been with me throughout the whole journey. To score two in front of them and win the game means a lot."
Newcastle have the option to recall Neave in January, although it appears more likely that he will stay with Wolves and continue his senior football education, building on his performance at Ashton Gate.
