18 year-old from Brecon and former Brecon Corries FC player, Kiban Rai, scored his first professional goal for Newport County on Tuesday, August 29, in the 96th minute against Premier League team, Brentford, in Round 2 of the EFL Cup.
Kiban's late goal, a powerful header from an Adam Lewis cross, equalled the scoring at 1-1, sending the tie to penalties, where Newport lost 3-0.
Despite ultimately being knocked out of the EFL Cup, Kiban described the moment he scored in an interview on Newport County's YouTube channel. He said: "Obviously it was an unbelievable feeling, I didn't think it (his first goal for the club) would come like that, but you always have to be ready.
"I'm grateful for the manager giving me the opportunity and hopefully I can just try and kick on."
Speaking about the headed goal, Kiban said: "It's something I'm really trying to work on in my game and I'll keep talking to the gaffer and hopefully I can keep on doing it and keep learning.
"Both my parents were here, so as I said it was an unbelievable feeling, but a shame about the result."
Looking towards the future, Kiban hopes to have more chances come his way: "For me mainly I want to not put too much pressure on myself and if my chance comes, be ready for it and take it."
Newport County manager, Graham Coughlan was singing the former Corries player's praises despite the defeat. In a post match interview on Newport County's YouTube channel, he said: "Kiban is a good kid, has a lot to learn and he's had to be patient because Seb (Palmer-Houlden) has come in, Will (Evans) has come in, and they were flying, and Omar (Bogle) has come back now.
"He's (Kiban) is definitely one we can work with and enjoy working with, and hopefully we can push him on and try to get more out of him and more goals.
"It's (the goal) a great springboard for him, a great evening for him and his family and he deserves that because it's not easy coming through academy football, getting recognised by the first team, going into the first team environment and coming on in a game like that.
"I can guess he would have been really, really nervous but it was a great cross and a great finish.
"Like I keep saying to my strikers, 'get in between the sticks, that's where your bread and butter is, that's where you'll pick up goals' and Kiban done that to be fair."
With a couple of injuries stacking up in the forward department, Newport could turn to Kiban for more game time in the upcoming weeks.
County are back in action in League Two this Saturday with a game against 5th placed Wimbledon, who are tied on points with Newport.
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