Buoyed by an encouraging start to his Barnsley career, Daniel Bogdanovic has now set his sights on enhancing his burgeoning reputation in English football this season.
The lanky winger-cum-forward has justified cause for optimism after hitting no fewer than five goals in Barnsley's pre-season friendlies, much to the delight of the Tykes' fans who have taken Bogdanovic to heart.
Barnsley, who narrowly escaped relegation from the Championship last season, kick off their 2009-10 campaign with a trip to neighbouring rivals Sheffield Wednesday tomorrow afternoon.
"The start to our campaign will be an explosive one because we are away to Sheffield Wednesday in the opening match," Bogdanovic told The Times.
"The derbies are the most important games of the season as far as the Barnsley fans are concerned."
A string of commendable performances in pre-season mean that Barnsley are going into the new campaign in high spirits. That also applies to Bogdanovic.
"All is well here," Bogdanovic remarked.
"I'm coming from a very good pre-season, scoring five goals in the warm-up matches. I was satisfied with my contribution to the team in the first months of my time here but I firmly believe that I can do even better this season, starting with Saturday's match against Sheffield Wednesday."
Bogdanovic is backing Barnsley to stay clear of relegation trouble this season.
"Our aim is to finish in the top half of the standings," he said, "and I think we've got what it takes to achieve that.
"Our build-up has been very fruitful. Last season, the team's pre-season was based on different criteria compared to this year. This time we have had more friendly matches and the team spent more time with the ball during training.
"Last Saturday, we drew 1-1 with Manchester City at Oakwell. They were the better team, not surprising given their array of talent, but our performance was also satisfactory.
"My goal put Barnsley ahead seven minutes from time and we hit the post twice. There were many positives to take from that match but the most pleasing aspect was that we looked sharp on the ball."
Bogdanovic, 29, joined Barnsley from Bulgarian club Lokomotiv Sofia in the last week of the January transfer window. His switch was ranked among the top 50 deals in English football by a prominent tabloid at the end of last season.
There have been whispers in the close season that Bogdanovic, whose contract has another year left to run, was the subject of interest from clubs in England and Germany.
Barnsley, who have kept faith with manager Simon Davey, are also expected to offer Bogdanovic a new contract but at present, the Malta international is only thinking about getting the team's season off to a flying start.
"I'm aware of interest from other clubs but at this moment in time, I'm not really interested in discussing transfer matters," Bogdanovic said. "I'm only focusing on my football."
On the international front, things have also been looking up for Bogdanovic as he has re-established himself as a regular for the national team. It remains to be seen whether John Buttigieg, the new Malta coach, calls Bogdanovic for next Wednesday's home friendly against Georgia, but the Barnsley striker has reiterated his commitment to the national team.
"Football is my profession and I have always made myself available to play for Malta," Bogdanovic said.
"Also, I have always given my all whenever I played for the team.
"Malta has been my home country for more than a decade and I feel Maltese.
"Money is certainly not behind my eagerness to play for Malta, so much so that I've already informed the MFA of my intention to donate any earnings from international matches to charity."