Cameron Jerome was thrilled to get his first Derby County goal at the weekend.
The frontman, who joined Derby from fellow Sky Bet Championship side Norwich City last month, was on target in the 3-0 home win against Brentford.
Jerome’s first goal came on his first start in a Rams shirt following cameo appearances off the bench in the recent 0-0 draws against Bristol City and Millwall.
His goal on 34 minutes put Derby two to the good against the ten-man Bees and came just four minutes after Tom Huddlestone’s opener.
Matej Vydra then rounded off the scoring in added time from the penalty spot after substitute Sam Winnall was brought down in the box.
Jerome, 31, was quick to point out post-match that it was important to get his first goal for Gary Rowett’s side as quickly as possible.
He told RamsTV: “From my point of view it was important to get off the mark.
“Tap ins are the best ones for strikers and it’s always nice to see the ball hit the net.
“It was a great move with Tom Huddlestone playing a lovely pass to Tom Lawrence and I was just the fortunate one to be in the right place at the right time to put the ball in the net.
“It was nice to get the first start and be a bit more used to how the boys play following a few appearances off the bench.
“To get a goal was a real added bonus and hopefully there’s many more goals and starts to come.”
He added: “I am a team player and I know the gaffer will change the team around and he has plenty of options in the attacking areas.”
Jerome felt Sergi Canos’ early dismissal for a challenge on Marcus Olsson presented Derby with the chance to take a firm grip on proceedings.
With Huddlestone and Jerome getting on the scoresheet within 15 minutes of the red card, they quickly took the wind out of Brentford’s sails.
The win saw Derby retain second place in the table with 16 games to go as the promotion race continues to hot up.
“Once we got the first goal, quickly followed by the second, I felt we controlled the game,” he said.
“Brentford are a good possession-based side but the red card and the goals changed the game.
“It’s not as easy as people think against ten men but we controlled things and didn’t look in too much danger.”
He added: “There’s still a lot of football to be played and we aren’t going to get carried away with where we are in the table.
“We just need to keep getting the results and keep the focus on that. The next game is Norwich and that’s all we are thinking about.”