Rai Simons is desperate to score his first goal as a professional as he looks to build on his impressive first start for Sky Bet League One side Chesterfield.

The 19-year-old repaid the faith bestowed on him by Dean Saunders, the Chesterfield manager, with a lively performance on the right wing in his side’s 2-1 win at Crewe Alexandra at the weekend.

The Bermuda striker is likely to retain his starting berth when Chesterfield face Rochdale at Spotland Stadium tonight in the second round of the Johnstone’s Paint Trophy.

“I really couldn’t ask for any more from my first start in the pro game,” Simons told The Royal Gazette. “Now it’s important for me to get my first goal out of the way. It could start a run of scoring form for me, so hopefully that will happen as soon as possible.”

Simons, who had been used as a second-half substitute in the previous two matches, made an immediate impact against Crewe with an inviting first-time cross for Dan Gardner to open the scoring in the sixth minute.

Described as a handful by Saunders, Simons continued to cause the Crewe defence problems with his pace and direct running until he was substituted in the 77th minute for Drewe Talbot.

Although Simons prefers playing through the middle as a deep-lying striker, he said he was more than happy to adapt his game for the team and perform a wide midfield role.

“[Saunders] told me at the hotel that he was going to start me and showed me how he wanted me to play positionally,” said Simons, who signed for Chesterfield last season.

“I was quite nervous and on the way to the ground I just put my music on, zoned out and focused on what I needed to do.”

Chesterfield’s victory against Crewe was their first in six matches and signalled the end of a three-game losing streak, lifting the Derbyshire side to fourteenth in the table and just three points off the play-offs.

“I’m pretty sure I will be involved against Rochdale,” Simons said, “but even if I’m not hopefully we can build on the [Crewe] win.

“Hopefully that victory can be a starting point for us to really push on again.”

Saunders, a former Liverpool and Aston Villa striker, has heaped praise on Simons for his valuable contribution against Crewe.

“Rai’s got a fresh mind, I thought he was excellent,” Saunders said. “He was a handful for the first half an hour and he made the goal.”

Saunders added: “We’ve won and that’s the main thing. We’ve got the points in the bag and we needed it.

“It’s a tight league, so we’ll just have to keep on picking up points while I’m piecing together what we need to do to be a bit more resilient.”

Chesterfield take on Rochdale at 3pm (Bermuda time).