The Newport striker shares his thoughts after returning from a lengthy spell on the sidelines with injury.
Offrande Zanzala made his first appearance for Newport County yesterday since February 2023. Zanzala suffered a severe knee injury which required surgery last season and since, has been working hard to return to full-fitness. Despite the lengthy break he shared his delight at being back playing football in front of the Amber Army once more.
“I’m delighted to be back of course after such a long time out with injury,” he began.
“I’ve worked hard throughout my rehabilitation, but the support from the team, the physio, the training as well has been beneficial for my recovery.
“It’s been a long time off the pitch, I’ve tried to distract myself as much as I can, looking into things that I previously may not have been doing, reading is one thing I’ve started to introduce along with studies, spending time with family etc.
“Stepping onto that pitch for the first time yesterday was a huge moment for myself and my family and it was great to secure the win as well!” He explained.
“To be back out there [on the pitch] and to put my shirt back on and play in front of the supporters after so long, it just felt amazing.”
Zanzala picked up six minutes during yesterday’s clash with Swindon Town after replacing the match winner Seb Palmer-Houlden and after the hard work during his recovery, he shared his goals for the remainder of the season: “I just want to score as many goals as I can,” he shared.
“I want to support the team where I can, play my game and stay injury free.
“As a senior pro [professional] I see it as my role to be a role model and offer support to my teammates both on and off the pitch.
“As a team, we’ve got our targets that we’ve set collectively and we want to continue to climb the league and scoring goals and of course build on this run that we have built in recent weeks,” concluded the forward.
You can watch Oz back in action next Saturday as the Exiles travel to the midlands to face Mat Sadler’s Walsall side. You can secure your tickets for the tie HERE.