Whether using his head, trying his luck from distance or just getting into position to capitalise from close range, super sub Rohaan Simons instinctively knows how to put the ball in the back of the net ? especially whenever in a Bermuda jersey!

After earning a recall to national team duty last January, Simons said he had a point to prove.

?I think I have to prove to myself that I can play at that level. Having been given another opportunity I hope to make the best of it,? he said in an interview with .

Now, not only has the Southampton Rangers striker proven he can rise to the international challenge, he has also made the best of limited chances.

Simons jumped off the bench to score a crucial equaliser against Trinidad and Tobago in February, scored with a rasping volley in the first World Cup qualifying match against Montserrat last month and on Wednesday night helped himself to the ideal birthday present by opportunistically slamming home Bermuda?s third goal against Nicaragua after coming on as an 83rd minute substitute.

?I really wanted to score ?especially playing with Shaun (Goater),? said Simons. ?That was a highlight in my career. Even though it wasn?t a spectacular goal it will always be in my memory as one of my best goals. Playing with Bermuda?s best international ever against good opposition like Nicaragua and coming on so late and scoring in front of a large passionate crowd had to be one of the most memorable goals I have scored.

?That was perhaps my best birthday (27) gift ever.

?If you strive and stay positive then good things will happen. I don?t try to score spectacular goals . . . I just try to score. Last night was just a culmination of hard work, being scrappy and being in the right place at the right time. I just look to do my best every time I go on the field.?

Simons, however, seems to step it up a notch or two when it comes to national team duty.

?It?s just something that I?ve always wanted to do ? put on the red, white and blue jersey and represent my country and do really well. To me every schoolboy and everyone in general should have national pride when it comes to sport or whatever. When I put on the jersey I feel like the whole country is behind me and I have nothing to fear,? he added.

Simons praised the large crowd which noisily spurred the home team on against the Central Americans.

?It was magnificent . . . the crowd was just absolutely mesmerising. At times I found myself not even looking at the game. It was as though I was looking at the game but my mind was on the crowd. Those guys who were chanting ?Feed the Goat?, they were inspirational and they need to be commended,? he said.

Simons also relished the opportunity to play alongside his idol, Goater.

?Just watching Goater play and doing what he does . . . being a true professional and one of Bermuda?s national heroes was a very memorable experience. He is basically an idol to most of the national team players and it was just a wonderful experience,? he said, adding: ?Even in the short period of time I was on he (Goater) gave me maybe three or four vital instructions that led me to do things I might not have done in other circumstances.?