'I hope to carry on' - West Brom's Maja hungry for more goals after opening season account

Super Eagles striker Josh Maja has expressed his delight after netting his first goal of the season in West Bromwich Albion's 1-0 victory over Norwich City on Wednesday night.

The 26-year-old, who has been working his way back to full fitness after a lengthy injury layoff, marked his first start of the campaign with the decisive strike at Carrow Road.

Maja calmly slotted home in the first half after Isaac Price teed him up from a deflected Sam Iling-Junior cross.

Speaking after the match, Maja thanked manager Ryan Mason for handing him his first start since January 2025 and hailed the importance of both the goal and the result.

"It was amazing to be in the starting XI after a while," Maja told the club's official website. 

"I was really looking forward to the opportunity to play and I thank the gaffer for giving me the chance. 

I enjoyed myself. Scoring the winner was a brilliant feeling, but earning the win was the most important thing tonight. Hopefully we can push on from here."

The Nigerian international, who admitted it was "a blessing" to be back among the goals, said he hopes the strike will spark a scoring run.

"Scoring goals is one of my strengths and I hope to carry on scoring goals and being part of a winning team. 

"I want this to be the start of a spell for me where I score as many goals as possible, which is what any forward wants.

"It's difficult to describe the feeling of scoring in detail, but it was definitely a rush. I had that feeling a few times last season and it's great to get off the mark this season. It's a blessing."

Josh acknowledged he has been putting in relentless effort to regain full fitness after a difficult spell on the sidelines, praising the staff for their support in his recovery.

The victory lifts West Brom into fourth place on the Championship table with 14 points from eight matches, just two points adrift of Coventry, who occupy the last automatic promotion spot.

Adeyemi Adewale

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