Watford midfielder Ken Sema has been praised for his brilliant post-match interview following the club's dramatic 3-2 win against West Brom.
The 29-year-old scored a brace for Slaven Bilic's side on Monday night as the Hornets ended a five-game winless run to go fifth in the Championship standings.
And after the full-time whistle at Vicarage Road, Sweden international Sema, who suffers with a stammer, delivered an inspiring post-match interview that has since gone viral.
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Sema, who has recently returned to the Watford squad after a spell on the sidelines with injury, was delighted to make the difference.
“It’s been a while with my injury and stuff so I’m happy with the goals and I’m happy with the win today as well," he said. "It was a must-win match here at home, and it was an amazing night.
“It was great to celebrate in front of the supporters. I have been out for a while with my rehab and I did everything I could to come back stronger. Scoring today and getting the win feels brilliant.”
He added: “It will be a very important win. A win at home is really important for our confidence as well, against a strong team. We know Saturday will be another hard test, but we’re feeling good and I’m looking forward to getting back out there.”
Sema's post-match interview was praised by many after the full-time whistle.
One fan said: "What a guy. Massive respect. I had a bad stammer growing up. It knocks the wind out of your sails and batters your confidence," while another wrote: "Fair play to Sema, massive respect."
A third commented: "People don't realise how draining it is having a stammer. Your mind has to work at incredible speed to choose words you won't stumble over. doing that in a second or third language is just amazing.
A fourth said: "I've struggled with speech problems when I was younger, and I would hide away from speaking in school and a little later into adulthood. So in awe of Ken Sema for doing this public interview."
A fifth added: "I love this, what an inspiration. I also have a Stutter/Stammer which often knocks my confidence while coaching but I have found ways get my points across and try not let it affect me. Well Done Ken Sema and great goals."
Last year, Leeds defender Luke Ayling opened up about his stammer in an interview with the BBC, where he spoke candidly about the consequences it has on his everyday life.
Ayling said he used to "shy away" from interviews when he first arrived at Elland Road because of his stammer, but the full-back is now doing more in front of the camera to find his own voice.
In a chat with presenter Emma Louise Jones, the former Yeovil player spoke about having his partner order a meal from the drive-thru because of "insecurities" and the reaction from his previous interviews online.
“When I first came to Leeds, I wasn’t comfortable at all doing interviews,” Ayling said in an interview with BBC that is set to air on Thursday.
“And I’ve kind of got to a point now where I just don’t care. If I do an interview and I have a stutter, I see a lot of things online when people say that I say ‘then’ and ‘like’ a lot but that’s my safety blanket kind of thing.
“Because I know that I can get those words out. I see a lot of people who maybe don’t know that I’ve got a stutter say ‘all I hear is then and like’. I just got to a point where I just thought, do you know what, I’m doing an interview with somebody who wants to speak to me and who actually wants to hear what I’ve got to say so why am I scared to do it? Because I shied away for so long from doing it.
“But I will still go to a drive-thru and I’ll be sat in the driver’s seat and I’ll still make my missus order it because I don’t want to do it. So, I still have those insecurities.
“It’s horrible because I sit here and I’ve got loads of things that I want to say but I know I can’t get them out so I just ramble on. That’s probably why I’m quite loud in the dressing room and just don’t care because I just say what I feel.”
Topics: Watford, West Brom, EFL Championship
Jack Kenmare