Nigeria international Taiwo Awoniyi expressed his delight at scoring on his home debut to hand Nottingham Forest a 1-0 win over West Ham on Sunday.
The Super Eagles forward, who made his first appearance off the bench against Newcastle at St James’ Park last weekend, opened his account for the Reds at the City Ground with the only goal of the game just before half-time.
Awoniyi was brought back to England from Union Berlin last month, having previously been on the books of Liverpool, although he failed to make any first-team appearances during his six-year stay at Anfield due to work permit restrictions.
The 25-year-old admitted to realising a dream in scoring in the Premier League and paid tribute to the Forest supporters for spurring the team on to claim their first victory of the season.
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“I’m really happy about the goal – it was a dream for me to score and for the team to win,” he told BBC Match of the Day 2.
“As a striker you just have to be ready for anything around the goal. It’s all about getting ready whether you are starting or coming on from the bench.
“We must say a very big thank you to the fans because from the beginning they got behind the team and you can see how it kept the team going until the last minute.
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“I’m really happy about it because it took me a long journey to get back to the Premier League and I’m very, very proud of myself.
“The win will give more confidence to the team, it will keep us going for the next game. I believe we will have a great season as a team.”