Defender Shane McLoughlin reflected on a ‘very special day’ as his stunning brace saw off Oldham Athletic at Rodney Parade on Saturday afternoon.
The 26-year-old struck either side of half time to see off the Latics and book the Exiles’ place in the Second Round of the Emirates FA Cup.
“They were my first ever FA Cup goals so it was a really special day for me,” began McLoughlin.
“It was a good performance from the lads and a real solid display. By no means are Oldham a National League side, they are a really big club and have some good players, so we’re really happy to go through with a clean sheet and two goals.
“I feel like we controlled the game. We managed certain periods well and brought that tempo in attack when we had to. Thankfully, we scored the goals to see them off and we’re really pleased with that.
“Hopefully the win today is the start of something for us in the competition. This club is synonymous with the FA Cup so let’s hope for a good run for us this season.”
The defender has featured in a number of positions for County already this season and more recently within a wingback role, a position that McLoughlin believes he’s certainly relishing in at the moment.
“I think playing in that wingback role gives me more licence to go forward,” he added.
“It can be quite difficult at times with injuries and personnel, so we’ve had to sort of do what we can after such a tough period.
“I think the last couple of weeks, playing that formation has given me more licence to get up and support the attackers.
“I think I need to start believing in myself more in terms of adding more goals to my game. When I’m in and around the box I need to take on more shots and hopefully, today is the start of many more to come now going into the rest of the season.”