SOUTHEND United defender Ollie Kensdale admitted he did not know what to do after scoring against Notts County.
Kensdale’s looping header, at the start of the second half, was his first goal since signing for the Shrimpers in December 2021.
And the 22-year-old was delighted his goal helped Blues bag a 2-2 draw against the table-topping Magpies.
“I didn’t know what to do to be honest after it went in,” said Kensdale.
“You do think about what you might do if you might score, normally when you’re lying in bed the night before.
“But it was a relief to be back in the game and I was delighted to get the goal.
“There had been some banter between ourselves with me being the only centre half not to have scored so I’m buzzing to get my first goal for the club.
“Most importantly we put in a hell of performance and speaking to their players at the end they said we’re the best team they’ve played.”
But Kensdale knows the challenge facing Blues is to now maintain that level of performance, starting with Saturday’s match against Dorking Wanderers at Roots Hall.
“We know we’ve got that in the dressing room but like the gaffer said it’s about doing it again on Saturday now,” said Kensdale.
“We need to go and back it up because that’s what good teams do.”
However, Kensdale also knows Dorking will be tough to beat.
“In my time at Concord we played them and they were a very good outfit,” said the defender.
“They’re probably the most similar side to Notts County in this league with a similar formation.
“But we’ll have a game plan we can hopefully execute to get three points on the day.”
And Kensdale knows the Shrimpers have the strength in depth and the support to become a force to be reckoned with at this level.
“This club shouldn’t be where it is and it’s scary really that it’s in the National League,” said Kensdale.
“The fans are unbelievable and they come out in their numbers and travel with us.
“If you look at our bench it’s scary the quality we have for the National League but we need to keep going.”
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