Kayden Jackson was happy to make amends as his 74th-minute winner secured three points for Ipswich Town at Plymouth.
The striker’s first goal of a season disrupted by injury and illness capped a comeback at Home Park, with Jon Nolan equaliser Luke Jephcott’s opener before Jackson’s left-footed effort from Oli Hawkins’ knockdown secured the points.
Jackson should perhaps have scored in the first half when a golden one-on-one chance went begging, as he took too long to pull the trigger, but he was delighted to come up big for his side when it counted most.
“Wardy’s (Stephen Ward) ball in was great and Hawk’s chest down was perfect, so when it said up on my left foot I was always confident I’d find the corner,” the right-footer said with a smile, when asked about his winner.
“Fitness-wise this season has been tough and I have been struggling since the Tottenham game in pre-season. I’ve been having little problems, which I haven’t really had during my career because I’ve always been able to stay reasonably fit.
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“I had nine months between competitive games so that was always going to happen but I’ve worked hard with the medical team and hopefully the form can come with that.
“If I’d walked away from this game and we’d drawn or lost then I would probably have been thinking about the opportunity I had in the first half for a bit too long.
“But all I can remember is the goal I’ve scored and hopefully there are more to come.”
On that first-half effort, which saw the pacey striker wriggle away from the Pilgrims’ defence before he was thwarted by Jerome Opoku’s tackle, Jackson said: “It’s been a while since I’ve been in that position but I maybe should have done better with that one.
“But those are the opportunities I want so I need to work hard and, when I’m in that position next, I have to try and take that one.
“I’m happy to have got the winner and I want to kick on from that.”
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“The performance could have been better but we’re trying to find the right balance of keeping the ball and threatening their goal as well,” he said.
“But if you can go away from home and come from behind to take the three points after an eight-hour trip then you can’t really get much better than that.
“When they went ahead it was tough and I then missed the opportunity to equalise before the break, you then maybe thing ‘oh no, not another one of these.
“But we dug in and made chances with people like Wardy getting forward from the back and we had options with good delivery from wide areas.”
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