An emotional Jake Garrett got his rewards for hard work in pre-season as he laid a claim to be part of the picture at Blackburn Rovers.
The midfielder has stressed his desire to prove himself under Tony Mowbray, after two years in the wilderness. Having won Young Player of the Year in 2023/24, two difficult loans and a year of injuries had curtailed his momentum.
But against Huddersfield Town, he staked his claim. Garrett immediately made an impression with some thundering tackles, raising the intensity in an otherwise friendly pre-season workout.
He then scored Rovers' equaliser with a brilliant left-footed strike which rocketed into the roof of the net.
"I feel like this season, I just want to let everyone know what is my game," Garrett explained.
"I think as soon as I've come on the pitch, I've let them know what it really does. First of all, I work hard, I get my tackles in, and then I feel like I can produce goals like what I have done today.
"I feel like I've worked really hard all pre-season. This is the best I've ever felt, to be honest. I feel like I've got the trust to go and do what I need to do.
"I feel like the gaffer and the coaches have told me I just need to keep it simple, work hard, help the team as much as possible.
"I've kept my head down this pre-season, just got the hard yards in, keep getting fitter every day. I feel like today was a bit of a product to say, it's starting to come into place, I've got to keep going. But this is just the start, it's the last game of pre-season, I'm ready to kick on now."
Mowbray's return has been crucial for Garrett. He has held talks with the new head coach about how he can impress him.
"I can't even put into words how much he's helped me, to be honest, since I've been coming back in," he insisted.
"He's given me a clear view of what I need to do to basically enjoy football again, and basically saying I was working hard, keeping the ball simple, finding a blue and white shirt, and basically finding why I started football in the first place and having a smile on my face.
"So I feel like every day I've been trying my best to try and show the coaches and the gaffer what they want, and today I feel like it's worked out.
"I think having the confidence in my body to make that extra sprint, or, as I said, the tackle that I threw in, I've put in a couple of strong tackles in today, I feel like that's going to give me a total confidence boost with me growing.
"So I've just got to, as I said, carry on and keep working harder, keep getting fitter and hopefully I can help the team as much as I can."
Garrett's goal was his first senior strike since January 2024. Even for a warm-up match, it clearly meant a lot to him, especially with his parents watching on from the crowd.
"I feel like it was hard to keep my emotions in, to be honest," he smiled.
"I was buzzing more about a few of the tackles, but then obviously when I've scored, it's just topped it off.
"My mum and dad were here as well today. They've got friends in the Huddersfield, so they were on the other side.
"That's why at first I went over, but just to show my mum and dad, you know, they've been by my side since I've had this hard time. So to get the goal today in front of them was a bit special for me, personally."
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