Justin Donawa, the Darlington winger, says it was a joy to have opened his goalscoring account for the English non-league club in a vital victory away to Trafford in the FA Cup second-round qualifier.

The Bermuda international came off the bench to score the visitors third goal in last weekend’s 3-1 win with a firm header from a free kick after having two earlier efforts saved by the goalkeeper.

“It’s always great to score your first goal for a new club,” Donawa said.

“For any forward, scoring is the objective. When you’re not scoring, your confidence can go down, and struggling to get off the mark can be even more frustrating, so I’m glad to have scored my first one.

“They say the first one is sometimes the hardest.

“It was almost like a sigh of relief and scoring in such an important win made it even sweeter.

“We needed that win for two reasons. First, we hadn’t won an away game this season and secondly we hadn’t won an FA Cup fixture for years, so I’m glad I was able to contribute in such as important win.

“It felt great to give the fans and the club that win. Hopefully, we can go on a run in the FA Cup.”

Stephen Thompson and Adam Campbell were also on target for Darlington, who will meet Vanarama National League rivals Leamington in the FA Cup third-round qualifying on October 5.

“Leamington are in our league, so it will be a good game,” Donawa added. “And the fact that it’s a cup tie means that it’ll be high energy.”

Donawa and club mate Osagi Bascome are both expected to be included in Bermuda’s team to face Mexico in the Concacaf Nations League at home on October 11 and away on November 19.

“Collectively as a team, we’re going into the next two fixtures against Mexico knowing there will be battles,” Donawa said. “They are a powerhouse in world football, so these two games will possibly be the biggest games of our lives.

“With that being said, we’re excited to compete against them.”

Bermuda recorded a 2-0 shutout victory away to Panama in their last encounter. Kyle Lightbourne’s side sit in second place in the standings behind Panama on goal difference after two matches, having lost 4-1 in the reverse fixture, with Mexico yet to play.