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Young striker Victor Adeboyejo says the reason he has swapped life at Leyton Orient for Margate is to get more game time.
The powerful 18-year-old competed his loan move from the League 2 club just ahead of the weekend and capped an impressive debut by winning and then emphatically despatching the 70th-minute penalty which earned the Blues a 1-1 draw in Saturday’s FA Trophy tie with East Thurrock United.
Adeboyejo made his Os debut as a 16-year-old substitute, against Peterborough in 2014 and has remained in and around the first team but says he has joined the Blues for the remainder of the campaign to get more minutes.
He said:“I didn’t know too much about Margate apart from it was far from home (Adeboyejo lives in south east London) but it’s a good opportunity to just come down and play some games.
“The players are friendly and there was no pressure to try and do anything special. It was my first 90 minutes for three or four weeks and it’s always nice to get a goal.
“I probably should have had two others but it’s good to be playing and to get involved.
“From the first minute the fans were getting behind us which is good because it gives you that extra 10% to push on.
“It was disappointing to concede an early goal but we knew we had the game under control because we were basically attack, attack, attack every time. If the game was 10 minutes longer, I think we would have scored again.”
Up against Adeboyejo was fellow Orient scholar, centre-back Michael Clark, who is on loan with Thurrock and the Blues striker said the pair had enjoyed some friendly banter during the game.
He added: “I asked him after I scored the penalty ‘didn’t you tell the goalkeeper I was going there?’ and he said I did but the keeper did his own thing!”
Gate boss Bull was delighted with Adeboyejo’s contribution and revealed that the former Charlton youngster had been on his radar for some time.
The contact came through Orient’s goalkeeping coach Martin Brennan, who is a good friend of Bull’s.
Bull said: “It’s been frustrating because we’ve been trying to get Victor in since pre-season but every time the deal was going to go through the manager got sacked and everything was put on hold while the new manager looked at everyone.
“He’s been on the bench for Orient in the Checkatrade Trophy, getting five minutes here and there and we’ve been close to signing him on numerous occasions.
“He was meant to be playing last Tuesday night at Eastbourne but at the last minute the manager was going so it was all put on hold again. I’m delighted to have finally got it done.
"I think for an 18-year-old he looked at times like Freddie Ladapo (the former Gate man who is now on loan at Oldham Athletic) when he was on fire last year.
“You know that if you knock the ball forward you’re going to get something, a free-kick or he’s going to make it difficult for the centre-half.”