New Stevenage loanee, Offrande Zanzala was delighted to make his Football League debut during the 0-0 draw against Barnet.
Zanzala’s efforts drew praise from the manager, his new teammates and the fans in attendance and he says he was eager to make an impression.
“At times I went a bit over the top and got a bit excited but one thing I wanted to do from the start of the game was to put myself about, work hard and show what I am capable of doing and put my foot where it hurt.
“The pace of it is very quick; it is sharp and more physical but it will all prepare me for my future. I would say though that after a couple of games I would like to settle in and hopefully do better as I play more games.”
Although not many chances fell for the 18 year old during the stalemate, Zanzala says he was still pleased with his own performance.
“I was disappointed with that. Obviously it is always good to have either an assist or a goal yourself as a striker but I thought the team played well, we dug in and hopefully on another day I can show what I am capable of doing by scoring goals.
“It has been an up ‘n’ down game - loads of running, loads of battling but I am delighted with my performance and the team. Every day we will continue to work hard.”
Alongside Zanzala upfront was his 14 year elder, Aaron O’Connor and the youngster says he was a big help during the game.
“He has got loads of experience, he was mentioning a lot of things during the game helping me on my debut which is always good to have as a striker just coming on the scene.
“He is a great player himself and it is great to be around him learning off him every day, in training and in games.”
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