By Brian Bennett

Ashington FC’s Paul Van-Zandvliet admitted that his goal after only 24 seconds against Consett recently is the quickest in his footballing career.

Van-Zandvliet pounced to score the rebound after Wilson Kneeshaw’s initial effort had been parried by Consett ‘keeper James Anderson.

For any player who scores in the first minute of a match it is surely a unique experience – only Van-Zandvliet has experienced it all before!

“Without a doubt it is the quickest I’ve ever scored,” said the North Shields born midfielder, “The ball got played over the top and Wilson Kneeshaw is like lightening with his pace. I knew what he was going to do because we had worked on it in training with the management team and I just wanted to be in and around the six yards box. The ball came to me and I just wanted to make sure that I concentrated and hit a clean strike with my left foot and when it hit the back of the net, it was a great feeling. Two years ago, I scored for North Shields against Newcastle Benfield at Sam Smiths Park which was around 43 seconds and that was a fantastic moment as well.”

For the 23 year old – who is an electrical engineer – it was his second goal in consecutive games and his aim is to bag more: “I’m buzzing after scoring two games in a row,” he added, “It’s something which the management team want me to do more – to arrive late in the box and add that bit extra to the team. Even from a personal point of view I want to score more goals to help the lads and everyone who supports the club.”