Chris Mepham said his first Sunderland goal was reward for his hard work to get back into the side.
The 27-year-old Wales international had started 25 of 26 Black Cats games before being benched for the games against Luton Town, Leeds United and Hull City.
He was recalled by Regis Le Bris at Sheffield Wednesday, and was the match winner in the 2-1 win over Cardiff City on Saturday after scoring in the 77th minute.
He told BBC Radio Newcastle's Total Sport Sunderland AFC Podcast: "It was tough because naturally you want to be on the pitch as often as possible and help the team, and I felt like my performances had been decent.