Conor McManus was delighted with what was nearly a perfect full league debut after his early goal was cancelled out by Logan Briggs' strike in Gillingham's 1-1 draw with Northampton Town at the MEMS Priestfield Stadium on Saturday.
The left wing-back was handed his first start in the fixture, a moment he had been dreaming of achieving for some time. He was pleased to have been given that responsibility, but knows there is plenty to build upon.
McManus opened the scoring after seven minutes when he got on the end of Nick Freeman's excellent cross to head beyond Zach Jeacock. The moment was made even sweeter, as he got to celebrate in front of his parents, who were in the corner that he ran towards.
The 22-year-old discussed the differences he has noticed between competitive League football and the under-21 game. He also touched upon the great support from the Priestfield crowd, which McManus believes gave them the added energy throughout.
Making his first league start...
It has been something that I have been dreaming of for so long. I think that every young lad who is in the 21s always wants to get that taste and to play in front of fans, fans as good as ours; I think that is something that I have wanted to do since I have come into the building. To get that opportunity today is something that I am incredibly grateful for, and it is something that I want to build on and work towards getting even more starts under my belt.
If I could have dreamed of a full debut, it would have gone something like that. I am obviously disappointed not to get the result, and I think that is something that I probably would have swapped the goal for a result if I am being honest with you.
It is always positive to get on the scoresheet and help the team perform, but there are little things to build on.
On his goal...
It is something that we have worked on in the training ground, those sorts of runs and making sure that the opposite wing-back is in and ready for it if it does drop. I was kind of lucky that Nick [Freeman] put in an unbelievable ball and it fell on my head. I closed my eyes and hoped for the best!
I am really happy to score, obviously. It is good to get on the score sheet.
[Scoring his goal at the Town End] - My parents were actually in that corner [that he celebrated towards], so it was the perfect side for me personally!
They flew in on Thursday, so I got a bit lucky with that one as well! I went straight over to their corner... I am really looking forward to seeing them, and then hopefully have a chilled evening and calm everything down before Tuesday [vs Chesterfield].
How League football compares to the under-21 game...
With regards to how different it is from 21s, I think that it's a completely different game. With 21s football, I think that you can kind of get away with playing that academy style of football, where if you make a mistake, or you're playing out from the back and you may be forcing things, whereas here it is a bit more cut-throat, and it is a bit more physical. It has taken a little bit to get used to, but hopefully, over the next few weeks and months, I can kind of grow into my own.
Feeding off the supporters' energy...
The weather wasn't the best, and to still have so many fans there at the game supporting us, I think that is massive. The amount of energy, not just me personally, but it gives the whole team such a lift. Getting the fans behind us is something that is incredibly important to us. I think that the energy and the mood in the group is so much better. I think that you can see it on the pitch, and I think that translates onto the pitch with the amount of energy they give us. You can see that little oomph, if that makes sense.
