Australian young gun Thomas Waddingham capped his Portsmouth debut with a goal just days after completing his transfer from the Isuzu UTE A-League.
Waddingham swapped Brisbane Roar for Portsmouth on Wednesday and by Sunday (AEDT), the 19-year-old scored his first goal in the EFL Championship.
“It’s obviously not the result we wanted, but to come on and score my first goal is a pretty surreal moment,” Waddingham, who was introduced in the 57th minute, said via Portsmouth’s official website.
“That was a very proud moment for my family and a dream for me. I thought I had nothing to lose because of the score and just wanted to work as hard as possible.”
Waddingham has joined the growing Australian contingent at Portsmouth, who also prised Jacob Farrell (Central Coast Mariners) and Kusini Yengi (Western Sydney Wanderers) straight from the Isuzu UTE A-League previously, while Sydney FC sensation Hayden Matthews is reportedly poised to also make the move to Fratton Park.
“The week has flown by pretty quickly. I signed, had a couple of training sessions and was then thrown straight into it,” added Waddingham.
“There was a little bit of interest from the club in the last transfer window, but it was stronger this month.
“I haven’t had a moment to stop and look around yet, so am looking forward to getting properly settled in.”
Portsmouth head coach John Mousinho added: “I’m really pleased for him.
“For him to come on and make an impact so quickly, I think he’ll be absolutely thrilled. To get a taste of the level as well is probably a really, really important thing.
