Etete grateful for support and says he feels part of a 'family' at Cobblers

Be warned, League Two defenders, Kion Etete will not be taking his ‘foot off the pedal’ now he's opened his account as a league player.

The young Tottenham loanee netted his first ever league goal at senior level when firing in the opener during Cobblers’ dominant 3-0 win over Stevenage on Tuesday.

It was a long time in the making for the 19-year-old, who had done just about everything else but find the net in a league game since joining Sixfields towards the end of the summer transfer window.

Etete admitted it was a ‘weight lifted' after fizzing a low shot through the grasp of Boro Joseph goalkeeper Anang, but he doesn’t plan to take things easy now he’s broken his duck.

“It’s not so much about feeling more relaxed now I’ve scored because I want to keep the ball rolling and I don’t want to take my foot off the pedal,” said the teenager.

“I think before I probably did focus too much on getting that goal but I’ve turned it around and I kept doing the right things.

“If you keep working hard and keep doing the right things, it will eventually fall for you and that’s what happened on Tuesday.”

Despite his lack of goals, Etete has always had the support of Cobblers fans.

His work ethic and relentless harrying and hassling of opposition defenders has earned him the admiration and respect of those in the stands, and it’s also key to the way Jon Brady wants to play.

Brady has spoken a lot about pressing high and playing with intensity, and it’s no surprise that the hard-working Etete is currently his striker of choice.

“I really feel part of the club here,” Etete added. “Everyone was so welcoming on my first day and they have been all the way through up until now.

“It’s been a really good experience for me and I think the staff see how hard I work behind the scenes and it’s coming to fruition on the pitch now.

“They see all the hard work I put in and when it pays off, it’s a good feeling for everyone who’s involved.

“It’s amazing to feel that support from the fans as well, it’s like a massive family because everyone is cheering you on when you’re on the pitch and that drive you on.”

Etete started the season playing alongside a strike partner, but in recent weeks he’s led the line by himself.

Brady switched formation to 4-3-3 at Hartlepool United, and whilst his team lost that game, their encouraging performance in defeat persuaded him to stick with it against Mansfield and Stevenage.

And it’s a credit to Etete that, despite his shortage of goals, he’s maintained the faith of his manager.

“I think we played well at Hartlepool and that helped us ease into the new formation because we made a change and everyone was getting used to it,” Etete added.

“Now it all seems to be connecting together and we’ve been playing well as a unit, pressing and defending together, so it’s going well.

“Credit to the gaffer and the coaches because we have been working on the shape a lot in training throughout the last few weeks and now it’s clicking on the pitch and we’re understanding each other with runs in behind and things like that.

“Hopefully it continues.”