West Ham United man on his landmark goal as he reveals his next Doncaster Rovers aim
Patrick Kelly was grinning like a Cheshire cat after Doncaster Rovers' win at Barrow.
The West Ham United loanee was the match-winner for Grant McCann's side on Saturday, with a composed finish ensuring progression into the FA Cup second round for his temporary employers.
The midfielder was introduced to the action at half-time and put in another thoroughly impressive showing in the engine room before capping it off with a late winner when he netted from inside the box. It was a landmark goal for the 20-year-old - his first in senior English football. Speaking to the media post-match, Kelly says he's glad to have finally made the breakthrough.
"It's something that's frustrated me the last month or two and it's something I've been working on," he said. "I've been getting into the positions so it means a lot to me to score my first goal in professional football in England. I went off celebrating but I didn't really know what to do!
"There's no better feeling than scoring, especially in a tight game, so I just ran off to the away fans."
Whilst it was his first goal in English football, Kelly has previously netted for both his country and when he was learning his trade at boyhood club Coleraine. He recently scored for Northern Ireland under-21s but insists his goal at Barrow just edged that one.
"I would say this goal was bit better! I couldn't really miss that one (for Northern Ireland) to be honest. Whereas this one was difficult and I enjoyed it a lot more. The next target is definitely to get one in the league now. That's what I'm here to do, to help the team and improve my game and hopefully add goals. The way we came here and won, it shows we can come to tough places and get it done."
After a three-game run of away games Rovers return to the Eco-Power Stadium with a visit from Notts County on Saturday.