Shaq Forde was delighted to make his Bristol Rovers debut against Barnsley at Oakwell Stadium in Sky Bet League One.
The Gas battled well but lost for the second time this season, with the Tykes coming away with a 2-1 victory.
Ruel Sotiriou grabbed his first goal for the Pirates to level the game after Davis Keillor-Dunn's opener, but Adam Phillips scored the winner for the hosts after the break.
Forde came on with twelve minutes left to play and insisted he looks forward to making more appearances for Matt Taylor's men.
“It was an exciting experience,” said Forde. “Unfortunately, we didn’t get the desired result, but it was good to get my first few minutes as a Gashead.
"Hopefully, the next few games will come with more goals for me and the team and more wins.”
Forde was the final of sixteen summer additions for Rovers after permanently moving from Championship outfit Watford. Joining in the same window as Sotiriou, who he played with last season, the forward stated that he feels comfortable and is happy with the characters in the squad.
“I’ve definitely been made to feel welcome,” he said. “I knew Ruel from my time at Leyton Orient last season, and I knew some of the other boys, so it’s been easy to join a great group. I’ve got no complaints.
“I spoke to Ruel quite a few times throughout the summer. He only said good things about the club.”
The Pirates seriously strengthened their forward options in the summer, with Forde coming in after Promise Omochere, Sotiriou, and Gatlin O’Donkor, with all four featuring against the Tykes.
Manager Taylor has plenty of options to choose from, with Forde believing that the competition will only help the team in the future.
“There’s loads of good competition in our team, and we’ve got loads of experience in this league and higher above,” said Forde. “It’s always going to be a fight as we’re all pushing for bigger chances.
“The competition is only going to drive us forward.”
Forde was in attendance for Rovers’ 2-0 win over Cambridge United and was welcomed by the fans before the match at The Memorial Stadium. The 20-year-old is already getting ready to play in front of the home fans against Wigan Athletic.
“I’m very excited to get my first few minutes at The Mem,” said Forde. Hopefully, we’ll get a good result and a couple of goals.
