All Whites midfielder Clayton Lewis has made his debut for Scunthorpe United, getting in a full 90 minutes and scoring the equaliser in what was an eventual loss to Doncaster Rovers in a penalty shootout.
Lewis joined the club in September and has been working hard behind the scenes to earn his break, which finally came in the Checkatrade Trophy match.
“It was quite hard,” Lewis said.
“Both sides made some changes and I was lucky enough to get out there and make my debut.
“I was quite pleased with that, but it was hard not winning the game and then losing on penalties is never good.”
Scunthorpe coach Graham Alexander was pleased with the effort from his Kiwi signing.
“We know around the final third he can create and score goals – we’ve seen that in training,” Alexander said.
“We know there’s more to come from him fitness-wise, but if you get him on the ball in good areas, he can produce. It was a real composed finish from him.
“I’m delighted for him to introduce himself to the supporters well on the pitch, and he can be happy with that and his contribution.
“There is still more to come from him, and room to improve, but for a debut game and his first game in English football, he can be pleased with his performance.”
Lewis said to get on the score sheet was the icing on the cake for him and he hopes it shows he’s keen to keep himself in contention.
“I was delighted to score,” he said.
“Hopefully I can start playing a little bit more now. It’s going to be tough, as everyone is pushing for places and the boys here are really competitive.
“It’s going to be hard for me to get into the team, but I’m going to keep pushing and hopefully get in there soon.”
Additional reporting: Scunthorpe United