Walsall striker Jamille Matt admitted it was an emotional moment to score in front of the Poundland Stand at the Poundland Bescot Stadium.
The 33-year-old scored an equaliser against Salford City on Saturday, his first home goal since joining the Saddlers.
Walsall went on to lose 3-2 and it turned out to be a bittersweet day for Matt. He felt the team were punished for their mistakes but couldn’t hide his pride of scoring his first goal at the Poundland Bescot Stadium for his hometown club.
“When it went in and the roar, it was a little bit emotional because of where I grew up,” said Matt.
“It would be nice to get a goal in a win, that’s the next goal.
“We didn’t start the game well to be honest and probably showed them a little bit of respect, stood off them a little bit in terms of trying to get the press on.
“Once they scored, we had a five-minute wobbly spell but then we got into the game and I thought we were the better team at that point, without maybe creating too many chances.
“We got the equaliser and then little mistakes are going against us in terms of when we make a mistake, they score goals.
“It’s a bit of a sore one to take because there was a lot of fight in us, a lot of good bits to the game and a lot of positives to take into Crawley.”
As well as scoring his first home goal, it was also a proud day as Matt wore the captain’s armband.
The striker revealed that he was a little surprised to be named skipper for the afternoon as he feels he has not hit the performance levels he would have liked in a Saddlers shirt but was incredibly honoured to have been given the armband.
“Sads (Mat Sadler) rang me and I honestly didn’t expect it,” he recalled.
“I’ll be honest, I’ve been carrying a few injuries and probably to my detriment sometimes I put myself out there because I want to be available for the team.
“I’ve not hit the levels consistently that I know I can hit but for Sads to show that confidence in me was massive and I didn’t expect it because if I’m being honest, I don’t think I deserved it because I’ve not been consistent in terms of the levels I know I can reach but it’s a massive honour for me to captain the club.”
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