Derby loanee Jack Stretton brought the roof of Brunton Park on Saturday afternoon with a brace of goals that everybody, including himself, has been willing him to notch.
The hard-working forward has literally run himself into the ground over his recent run of six starts, and a determination to keep going is something that’s going to stand him in good stead, as witnessed at the weekend with a man-of-the-match goal-getting display.
“It’s brilliant reward for Jack Stretton,” gaffer Paul Simpson told us. “I said to him when he came off the pitch that it’s a real reward for the work he’s done over the last three or four games.
“He’s worked his socks off with not getting the goal to go with it and he was desperate for that. I suppose if I’m going to pull a downer on it, it could have been Jordan Gibson who got it, and I thought he deserved one for a great performance from him.
“It’s massive for Jack, but I also think it’s massive for the whole team. It was a strong performance from them all, a big team performance, and he’s really deserved those goals.
“He’s waited patiently, he’s worked hard and he’s done a few different roles for us. He’s played out wide, he’s been down the middle, and he’s taken the opportunity he’s been given. It’ll do him the world of good and hopefully he can keep building on it.”
“I said to him afterwards, the goals were reward for how he’s gone about things,” he added. “The Grimsby away game, he was showing what a shift you have to put in if you’re doing that wide left of a front three role.
“And then this happens. He’s been close on a couple of occasions, and I know he beats himself up because he’s a striker, he wants to score. His second goal was a brilliant finish, and something he does practice in training, going down that right hand side and drilling things in.
“He had a little bit of luck with the first one but the harder you work, sometimes you get that bit of luck, and he’s worked his socks off. Credit to him, hopefully he can just carry it on now.
“He’s had some opportunities so far, but it’s the same old thing, the first goal’s the big one. Once you get that you suddenly get a bit of a lease of life and move on from it.
“Being honest, in the first half I thought he looked a bit leggy, but I told him he needed to keep staying positive, keep working and running, try and get a bit closer to Edmo, and it worked out for him.
“As a striker he will be absolutely delighted with that.”