Kyle Dempsey says he feels the fittest he ever has done in his career and was delighted to find the back of the net twice for Bolton Wanderers in their 3-0 win over Wycombe.
The Whites took the lead in the first half when Dempsey finished to give the Whites the advantage following good work from Liverpool loanee Conor Bradley. They doubled their lead just before the break when Aaron Morley slotted home from Dapo Afolayan's pass.
Dempsey added his second after the break as Wanderers ran out worthy 3-0 winners. It leaves the Whites third in the League One table after two matches so far.
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Dempsey nearly grabbed a hat trick in the second half but saw Tyla Dickinson parry his effort to safety. Though he did not go home with the matchball, the midfielder was pleased to find the back of the net.
He said: “I think it was probably one of the most enjoyable (games) that I have had in my career. It was a weird one because my first league start, I actually had a brace and it has been that long since.
"A bit overdue, and I think on another day I might have had four. But I am absolutely delighted to get the two goals today and most importantly get the win and the three points.
"I kept making that run and with the quality that we’ve got on the pitch, I knew they would find me. I think towards the end my legs started giving up on me!
"Unlike the second goal where I just shot through, I think if I was still that fresh I might have had the hat trick, which would have been lovely because I’ve never had one before. But I am delighted to get those two goals.
“I normally try and base myself on double figures for the season and I am just going to take each game as it comes. Obviously, when you score two in your very first game of the season you are going to be confident and take that into the next game.
"But I am not going to get carried away. I am just going to keep working on what I am doing in training and hopefully it will keep providing on the pitch.
“We knew the gameplan which they would pose against us and obviously had to match that. We knew that our quality on the ball and our talent would takeover. And like we have shown today, we stood up to the battle and the quality has taken over and w got a comfortable win.”
Dempsey has returned to the starting team at Wanderers after a stop-start time at the club so far. He arrived at the club at the end of the January transfer window from Gillingham but his time at Wanderers last campaign was interrupted by injuries.
But he has featured heavily in pre-season and is now back to full fitness after putting injuries behind him. He believes fans are yet to see the best of him in a Bolton shirt so far, but hopes this is the start of many more positive moments to come on the pitch.
Dempsey is in a competitive midfield department at Wanderers which also includes the likes of MJ Williams, Aaron Morley, George Thomason and Kieran Lee. The midfielder believes the size and strength in depth of Bolton's squad will serve them well this season as they aim for the division's higher echelons.
He said: “I think with the stop-start time that I have had, the fans haven’t really got to see the true me. I’ve said in interviews that they haven’t seen the best of me yet.
"I think today, even though on the ball I wasn’t on it as much as I’d like to have been, I just knew how effective I could be with the runs. And at the end of the day, scoring goals and creating goals is something I want to get better at.
"I had a year at Gillingham where I sort of found myself again as that goalscoring creative midfielder and I felt like today there were glimpses of what I can do. I just need to continue doing what I’m doing in training, keep myself fit and hopefully it will be the start of many more to come.”
"I think with every successful side that you see go up out of League One, you see how big their squad is. Picking up injuries and stuff like that, these guys can come in straight away and they’re not going to be out of their depth. I think it is making training a lot more competitive and the standard this year, you can just see the increase. It is really good.
“I think we have got a really good understanding, especially MJ behind. Obviously, MJ won’t get the sort of applause that me and Az have probably got today but the work that he does off the ball and breaking things up and releasing the ball – he is a massive part to us and it allows me and Az to play with the freedom that we played with today.
“Obviously, you see the work that Sharon (Brittan) does. She has really made it a family club and that is one of the biggest reasons why I actually wanted to join here.
"The way they made me feel on the phone, the gaffer’s ideas, everything just fit perfectly to me. I have had a bit of a stop-start time here from when I joined in January but like I said in pre-season – I feel the fittest that I have felt.
"I was unfortunate to pick up a knock last week but it made me more hungry this week to sort of solidify a place in the team. Obviously, when you get a chance you’ve got to take it and I felt like I did today.”
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