Matty Gillam says scoring his first league goal for the club on his first league start was a dream come true.
He told iFollow: “It’s every striker’s dream to score a goal, so to get my first league goal on my first league start for the club is an amazing achievement.
“Unfortunately, we didn’t get the result we wanted against Charlton on Tuesday night and that was the big disappointment, but from a personal point of view, it was really good.
“I’ve never scored a goal of that importance before, in terms of putting us 1-0 up in a league game, so there were a few things running through my mind on how to celebrate, but I just ran over to the corner and gave it a fist pump.”
Gillam was introduced as a second half substitute during Dale’s win over Peterborough United at the weekend, and the young forward admits he’s pleased to be getting minutes on the pitch, but is taking nothing for granted.
“I’ve worked really hard and I’m trying my best to get as many minutes as I can. When I get put on, it’s just really pleasing, whether it’s starting the game or coming on as sub. You just want to do everything you can to try and make sure you stay in the team, keep pushing for your team-mates and do what you can on the pitch to get the right result.
“In this day in age, working hard is key. You really do need to work hard in order to make an impression, because at the end of the day, when you’ve got no experience, you’ve got to work hard to make your way through their team.”
Dale left The Valley empty handed on Tuesday night, despite an excellent performance against the Addicks, so Gillam was delighted to see the team follow that up by securing three points against the Posh on Saturday after another good display.
“We deserved points again and we got them this time. It was really pleasing and you could see from all the lads, the management and the fans how much it meant – everyone was really happy we got the win.”
Watch the full interview on iFollow.