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Wells hoping to hit goal trail

Shoot on sight: Nahki Wells has an attempt on goal during Queens Park Rangers’ 5-4 penalty shoot-out win at home to Bristol City in the first round of the Carabao Cup on Tuesday. QPR will face Portsmouth at home in the second round of the competition during the week beginning August 26(Photograph by &QPR)

Nahki Wells hopes his goal in Queens Park Rangers’ 5-4 penalty shoot-out win at home to Bristol City in the Carabao Cup is the first of many this season.

Wells curled in the Sky Bet Championship side’s first goal in the fifteenth minute and also converted in the shoot-out after the game finished 3-3 at the end of regulation time.

The forward also hit the woodwork with a 35-yard shot and earned his team a vital penalty that team-mate Ryan Manning dispatched to draw the teams level late in the match at the newly renamed Kiyan Prince Foundation Stadium.

The Bermuda player was making his first start since rejoining the club on a season-long loan from Premier League side Burnley.

“I was able to take [the chance] early and caught the goalkeeper a bit flat-footed,” said Wells, who also spent last season on loan at QPR. “There was some good communication between me and Matt Smith, so I was delighted to get back up and running.

“I feel like I never left and hopefully this will give me a platform to go on and get more. This year is a big year for me. I want to get back in the first team and I am confident that I can do so. I need to perform week in, week out to do so and I was happy to do so tonight [Tuesday].

“These cup games are important for me. At the moment, I need to try and claim that ‘No 9 shirt’, that starting shirt, and these games give everyone the opportunity to do well.”

Wells, who earned a runners-up medal in the same competition during his time at Bradford City, believes QPR were worthy winners having led once and trailed twice.

“It was a real back-and-forth game,” the former Dandy Town player said. “I thought we played some great stuff at times and were the better team over the course of the 90 minutes.

“We deserved to win and we are delighted to go through on penalties.”

The two teams will meet again in the Championship on Saturday when Wells and his team-mates make the trip to Ashton Gate.

“It’s good that it went straight to penalties because it meant we could save our legs a bit ahead of playing them again on Saturday,” Wells added.

QPR will face Portsmouth in the second round of the competition.

“We had two tough fixtures against them last season,” Wells said. “I was fortunate enough to score a couple of goals in those games and I’m looking forward to trying to do the same again.”

Wells was one of two Bermudians who featured in the Carabao Cup on Tuesday as Reggie Lambe’s Cambridge United beat Championship side Brentford 5-4 in a shoot-out at Griffin Park. Lambe converted from the spot to help the League Two side advance into the second round, where they will face Swansea City.