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Wells hopes stunner will kick-start career

Photo supplied by Telegraph and Argus, BradfordBradford City?s Nahki Wells scores the winning goal in their FA Cup first round match against Rochdale on Saturday. Wells hopes the goal will help him earn more match minutes.

Nahki Well hopes his match-winning FA Cup wonder goal against Rochdale will help him break into the Bradford City starting line-up.The Bermuda international jumped off the bench in City’s tie at the –weekend to smash home a stunning –30 yard effort to earn his side a place in the second round draw.Partly down to his World Cup qualifying commitments with Bermuda, Wells had been restricted to just four substitute appearances before Saturday, scoring in the Bantams’ first win of the season against Barnet.The 21-year-old now hopes his FA Cup heroics will help kick-start his fledgling career and convince manager Phil Parkinson he is worth an extended run in the side“We have a big squad at the football club there are a lot of good strikers here so it has been hard to get into the team so far,” Wells said.“I just have to try and bundle my way up the pecking order here. If I can continue to do what I’ve done today coming of the bench then hopefully I can earn myself more game time.“It’s time for me to push on. I can’t keep being used as a sub so I’ll have to continue to work hard in training and take my chance.“Parky (Steve Parkin) and the gaffer have been full of support for me in training and giving me words of praise and advice.”Former Dandy Town man, Wells, said he knew his remarkable strike was destined for the net as soon as he hit the ball. “It’s definitely one of the best goals I have ever scored,” the former Carlisle United player added.“I have scored some good ones back in Bermuda, but this is certainly up there with my very best. To score here (at the Coral Windows Stadium) and to score it right in front of our home end, it is definitely one of my best.“I just nipped it off one of their midfielders about ten yards from goal and then just kept running with it.“Once I hit it, I knew it was going on. They said if it hadn’t gone in and I hadn’t have passed they would have been screaming at me but luckily it did. The fans were the ones who encouraged me to hit it and I have never scored one better.”Wells was due to miss the game as the Bermuda Football Association had wanted him to play against Barbados in last Friday’s World Cup qualifier.With Phil Parkinson, the Bradford City manager, eager to see him in action though, a compromise was reached and Wells travelled to the Island on Sunday ahead of last night’s final qualifier against Barbados.Steve Parkin, City’s assistant coach said it had been hard to assess how good Wells can be because of his recent international commitments.“We have had a chat with him and while we are pleased that he is representing his country there is always a stage where a decision has to be made for him to spend more time here,” said Parkin.“If they are World Cup qualifiers that he has to go and play in then all well and good but with friendlies we would prefer him to be here earning his bread and butter.“He has a lot to learn but one thing he has got is natural talent, he has an eye for goal and we see that in training when he is here. It is important he enjoys the moment but builds on it. He could be a real dangerous player for us for the rest of the season.”n Freddy Hall’s Northampton Town have sacked manager Gary Johnson –after eight months in charge.Saturday's FA Cup first round loss to Blue Square Bet Premier side Luton Town extended the Cobblers' winless run to seven games.Johnson, who was appointed Northampton manager in March, leaves with the club 20th in League Two. Goalkeeper Hall, 26, joined Northampton on a one-year deal in the summer.