Town Midfielder Jake Evans was thrilled to get a goal and 90 minutes under his belt during the 3-0 friendly win over Royal Wootton Bassett Town FC on Monday evening.
The first-year pro was in fine form as a strong Robins outfit were put through their paces at the New Gerard Buxton Sports Ground.
Jon Obika and Jermaine Hylton were also on the scoresheet, and Bassett born Evans reflected on what was a special night for him on a personal level.
“It was good to get some minutes under my belt because my playing time has been limited due to the squad depth and the quality we’ve got,” he told swindontownfc.co.uk.
“It has been tough for me to get in the team but playing on Monday night was brilliant. I thought I played quite well, I managed to get a goal and I really enjoyed the game.
“Being a local lad from Bassett I knew everyone there so I was able to put on a bit of a show and the team played well I thought.
“There are a lot of midfielders here and I’m one of the younger ones so for me to be able to show them what I can do was pleasing for me.
“Everything fell into place and I thought I played quite well, which was good.”
Town are able to boast an abundance of riches in the midfield area and Evans feels he is benefitting from being able to train alongside the likes of Yaser Kasim, Michael Doughty and Conor Thomas day in and day out.
“It is brilliant to mix with them every day and you learn stuff off them all the time,” he added.
“Me, Youngy (Jordan Young), Will (Henry) and Tom Smith have all come up together and to be mixing in with the first-team squad is brilliant for our development.
“The quality we get out of the training sessions gets higher because of the quality the first-team boys are performing at.
“I’m just going to keep training and working hard and every time there is a chance for me to play I’ve just got to try my best, show what I can do and prove to the gaffer that I’m here to try and fight for a place.
“But I’m happy that there is good quality in the centre of midfield and there is competition for places, because that’s healthy for the team and it is going to help us get better results.”
Town are currently preparing for this weekend’s trip to Oxford United and Evans is literally counting down the days until Derby Day arrives.
“I’m very excited. Whether I’m involved in the squad or not I’m definitely going,” he continued.
“It is a massive game for both teams and we’re up for it, the boys are excited about the game and if we get everything right on the playing field then there is no doubt that we’ll get the win.”
