Bryant Bilongo was delighted to score on his Bristol Rovers debut, with his stoppage-time header earning the Gas a 1-0 victory over Northampton Town.
The 22-year-old was one of 13 summer singings after moving from Middlesbrough and quickly became a popular figure amongst Gasheads because of his pre-season performances, with his winning goal on the opening day of the Sky Bet League One season only helping him.
Reflecting on his career so far, Bilongo immediately selected Saturday’s win as his favourite moment.
“It was my best football day,” he said. “To do it in front of the fans on my EFL debut and in front of my parents as well. I’m delighted, honestly, I’m so happy.”
“It was improvised [the goal]. I’ve just swung around, and honestly, I can’t actually remember properly, but it just bounced off of my shoulder, and the rest is the rest. I wanted to jump into the crowd, to be honest."
It has not been an easy journey in football for Bilongo, who has had to work extremely hard to get to this position. After loans in the National League to Woking and Ebbsfleet United, he finally found a permanent home at the Gas and was overjoyed by the occasion.
“Even just seeing my shirt hung up there [the dressing room] was an amazing feeling,” said Bilongo. “If you asked me a couple of years ago, ‘would I be in this situation?’ I would have told you no."
“So, the journey has been really good. I’m just glad that I am making my family proud.”
An impressive 8,529 people arrived at The Memorial Stadium to watch the season opener, with the home fans bringing the noise before being rewarded for their efforts in the stands with a dramatic goal in the closing stages.
Bilongo insisted that the Gasheads had a role to play in his winner.
“I could see a goal coming, especially with the fans pushing us on,” he said. “They backed us the whole way, and with the substitutes coming on making the team stronger as well, it was made for a last-minute winner.”
