Defender Joe Thomas described scoring his first professional goal in front of the Amber Army as “a great feeling” and something he’s “dreamt of” for a long time.
Thomas opened the scoring in the eighth minute of County’s 2-1 victory over Morecambe on Tuesday evening at Rodney Parade, setting the Exiles on course for their second consecutive win.
His strike was the perfect start for County, who sealed the three points with a late goal from David Ajiboye, climbing to 17th in the League Two standings.
“It was a great feeling to score my first professional goal,” said Thomas post-match.
“To score any goal is a special feeling, but to score your first and in front of the fans tonight made it even better. The atmosphere and support was amazing once again tonight.
"Scoring a goal in front of the home fans is something I’ve dreamt of, so it’s a really special moment for me."
He continued, “Tonight the win felt special for all of us. Coming off the back of two good results against Salford and Barrow, we knew how important tonight was.
"You can see from tonight that we showed great fight, spirit, and character—qualities this group has in abundance. On our day, we can go up against anyone, and we’ve got the quality to prove that.
"We’ve got unbelievable players who are willing to win every single game for us in the dressing room, and that showed again tonight.”

The 22-year-old made back-to-back starts for the Exiles following their win against Barrow AFC on Saturday, and is relishing his run of games since making a permanent move to Rodney Parade in the summer.
Thomas was thrilled to cap off a solid performance with the win and believes he is improving week by week.
“I’ve really enjoyed the last two games,” he added. “As a wing-back, you’ve got to do both sides of the game—offensively and defensively—and do them well to come out on top.
"For me, it’s always about making sure I’ve got that balance, being able to help the defence when I’m needed and contributing going forward as well.
"One-on-one defending has been something I’ve been working on, and I’ve had to be patient to get into the team, but I feel like I’m progressing slowly and can only kick on now.”