MANDELA Egbo was delighted to break his scoring duck for Colchester United – and is hoping his goal is the first of many.

Egbo netted his maiden U’s goal with an excellent strike in their 3-0 triumph over Arsenal under-21s at the JobServe Community Stadium, on Tuesday night.

The 27-year-old’s last competitive goal came for New York Red Bulls in an MLS win over Inter Miami, back in September 2020.

READ MORE: Danny Cowley's verdict on Colchester win over Arsenal U21s

Egbo’s fine goal against Arsenal’s youngsters in the Bristol Street Motors Trophy group game was his first in English football and the right-back is now aiming to add to his tally.

Egbo said: “It’s been a long time coming!

“I’d have much preferred it to be in the league but it was good to get and hopefully maybe I can carry that goalscoring form on and score in the league, too.

“I was higher up the pitch than I’m used to and first I got a bit of a headache and a nosebleed – I was thinking ‘what’s going on here!’.

“Honestly, I was just looking for a pass and it just opened up.

“I thought if I strike it with my left foot, I’m not sure where it will go so I’ve just gone outside of the right and it’s nestled in the bottom corner.

(Image: STEVE BRADING)

“We had a few fans at the game, so it was nice to get to celebrate it with them – it was a fun night all round.”

Egbo’s well-taken strike was the icing on the cake for Colchester in their comprehensive win over Arsenal under-21s.

It was the U’s first win in ten games in all competitions and the former Swindon Town defender says they are now aiming to build on their impressive victory.

He said: “We’ve been looking for a win for a long time now and it was good to get it, whether it’s against Arsenal under-21s or any other team.

 

“We needed that build some confidence and hopefully, we’ll build on that from here.

“We’ve had some massive results in the games we haven’t won and gone away to places like Port Vale and Chesterfield and Barrow and got some good results on the road, so we’ve built confidence up from them and also from this win.

“We got the job done like we came out to do.

“We were aggressive and we wanted to get after them; we knew that they’d play a bit of football and we wanted to get after them on the press and managed to win the ball up the pitch quite a few times.

“We kept a clean sheet at the other end and it was a good professional performance.

READ MORE: Colchester United player ratings after win over Arsenal U21s

“We’d have liked to have scored a set-piece goal too but we can’t complain.

“We knew that they have some of the best young players in England, if not Europe so if you give them time, they can definitely play some football.

“We set about it quite well in the early stages and it set the tone for the rest of the game.”

Egbo is hoping he has done enough to keep his place in Colchester’s starting line-up for their home clash with Bradford City, on Saturday.

But the former Crystal Palace youngster insists he is philosophical about his battle for a starting spot.

(Image: STEVE BRADING)

“Every player here wants to start as many games as possible but it’s just about what’s best for the team,” added Egbo, who is set to make his 50th Colchester appearance this weekend.

“I’ve come off the bench for the last four or five and whether it’s myself or Hunty or anyone else that plays, I know that whoever the gaffer puts out there it’s what he thinks is best for the team.

“Gone are the days where I was an angry or frustrated kid at not playing games – there’s 46 league games and then games like this in all the cups, so there’s plenty of football.

READ MORE: Colchester United 3 Arsenal under-21s - as it happened

“I doubt anybody is going to start all 46, so whether it’s off the bench on Saturday or on from the start, I’ll be ready to give what I can to the team.

“I’m 27 years old now with lots of experience and I’ve sat on the bench plenty of times, so whenever the opportunity comes about, I’ll be ready.

“I try to give 100 per cent every day; everybody has off days and there are days when you’re not feeling 100 per cent but I’ll always give everything in what I do and come in with a smile every day, helping the young lads.

“That’s what I try and do every day and hopefully, people can see that.”