Jeffrey Monakana could not hide his delight at having scored for the second game running.
His strike on the verge of half-time secured Preston North End victory in their final home game of the season against Tranmere Rovers.
The Birkenhead outfit struggled to cope with the influential Monakana, who now has two goals and two assists in his last four games, all afternoon, as the former Arsenal winger was deservedly named man of the match for his efforts.
And with the win seeing Preston extend their unbeaten home run to seven matches, Monakana revealed his pride at seeing North End pick up all three points against another side that has been challenging at the top of the table for the majority of the season.
“Tranmere are a good team. They’ve been at the top end of the table for most of the season and only really dropped away in the last few week,” said Monakana.
“I feel we adjusted to it well in the first half. The last 15 minutes they dominated possession and came at us. But luckily I got the goal and we carried on from there.”
After an even first half the sides seemed destined to be coming in at the break with scores goalless, before Monakana’s strike managed to break the deadlock.
With the 19-year-old under no illusions as to how vital the timing of his strike was, Monakana was impressed with how the Lilywhites managed to hold on for a hard-fought win.
“The goal came at a really good time for us,” Monakana admitted. “I think we needed to work harder and try and get more possession going in at half-time, which thankfully we did in the second half.
“Tranmere didn’t really create a lot while we were still attacking and creating chances.
“When I get the ball I try and take on my man and try and make things happen for the team.
“With Kingy upfront, his hold-up play was great and he kept getting the ball to me, so I was able to keep running at them and cause some damage.”
The 1-0 win over Tranmere means Preston have now kept six clean sheets from their last seven matches at Deepdale.
With an ever-maturing Monakana equally impressive at tracking back in defence, the winger praised North End’s back-line after what was another solid defensive performance from the Lilywhites.
“The back four have been fantastic over these last few games,” said Monakana. “It’s good to keep another clean sheet and it’s a big win for us.”