Dom's thoughts after Town win and his debut
Dom Smith was jubilant after making his debut in the 4-2 victory over Colchester. The defender thinks the team showed real character to fight back from two goals down:
“Being 2-0 down at halftime wasn’t the best start to my debut but the lads fought really hard in the second half and did well. I was thinking at halftime that I hadn’t played too bad despite the score line. The gaffer sent us back out there telling us to attack as much as we can and that paid off. He wanted us to keep going and keep believing and that’s exactly what we did.”
“The crowd got our heads up as soon as our first goal went in. They really were the twelfth man today and they pushed us on to complete the comeback. Getting four goals in a game is remarkable. If we keep the belief that we can score as much as we want then I think we can fly in this league. Clean sheets will be important too and in the second half we did well to keep Colchester out.”
The 19-year-old was impressed with substitutes Tyrone Barnett and Sullay KaiKai who both managed to score a brace:
“The manager couldn’t ask for better substitutions. They came on and did really well to bag the goals. Barnett is always a handful. He is a big lad with great feet and he showed his quality today by getting two goals. KaiKai also has great feet and he is a brilliant character to have around. He really showed what he could do today to come off the bench and get two goals.”
Smith has been affiliated with Shrewsbury Town since the age of 7 and he expressed his joy at realising his dream of playing for the club:
“I was informed on Friday that I would be playing today. It has been a long wait but it is fantastic to play for this club. All the lads and the coaches are great so I am really enjoying it. I want to thank them all for helping me, I couldn’t ask for a better set up here.”
“I am a Shropshire boy through and through. I went to school at Wilfred Owen and I have been connected with Shrewsbury Town since I was seven years old so it was a long wait for today. My mum and dad were here today as well as my Nan and little sister to watch me make my debut, hopefully I did them proud.”
Before being made aware of his place in the starting line-up Smith had been disappointed to miss out on a place in the Wales U21’s squad but that disappointment turned into delight:
“My experience at Tamworth helped me to block out the crowd and focus on my own game so I wasn’t overly nervous. I missed out on the Wales U21’s squad for their matches this week but I am chuffed I did now as it was brilliant to get my debut for Shrewsbury!”
“Hopefully I have now shown what I can do and the gaffer will trust me to play me in the next game. I want to get as much experience at this level as possible.”