Victor Obinna described the fans as "unbelievable" after they and he played a starring role in the 1-0 derby victory against Tottenham Hotspur on Saturday.
The forward was terrific in terrorising the Spurs defence all afternoon, proving too hot to handle from start to finish. He may not have bagged the winning goal but he deserved as much praise as scorer Frederic Piquionne, goalkeeper Robert Green and the rest of his team-mates.
For Obinna, though, the plaudits needed to go to the home supporters after their passionate backing at a jumping Boleyn. Obinna said: "The atmosphere was incredible. It was fantastic. I am very used to playing derbies everywhere i have played in Italy and Spain but today was fantastic.
"The weather, the atmosphere, everybody was crazy [in the stands], It really gave us more morale.
"Apart from the fact we only had one point and we wanted to win, the fans were out there and we really appreciate their support, they were there at Stoke and Sunderland as well. I want to thank them for that and I hope they will continue to support us."
Obinna added that he was loving life in the Barclays Premier League, especially the speed of the matches, having previously been used to the more sedate pace of Serie A with European champions Internazionale. "I really wanted to come here. I believe I have the quality to be here. It is quick and I am getting used to it gradually. It is very exciting.
"It has been wonderful since I have been here, everyone has been helping me to adapt. I want to thank them and thank the manager for giving me the opportunity to play and my team-mates as well for helping me around the squad. It has been fantastic."
The No33 said the manager's main advice was to "do the right thing at the right time", and that was certainly his approach in giving Carlo Cudicini plenty of problems.
"It has been a wonderful game for us. To play against a team like Tottenham, the quality they have. As a team, we were happy to be able to win. We started the game very well, the passion was there and the atmosphere. The three points was most important for our fans.
"I am very happy that today we were able to win. We played good football in front of our fans, we put smiles on their faces by winning the derby. That was what was important.
"This side can get better, we are improving day by day, game by game. You have to take one game after the other. Today's game will give us more confidence to face the other games we have.
"We play Fulham next week, it is another tough game. They are a good side and we will have to work hard and develop our strategy the way the manager wants us to play."
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