Saturday's drought-breaking win over rivals Point Cook was a satisfying affair for the Sebastopol Vikings.
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But it was even sweeter for Vikings youngster Mitch Ralston who notched a brace in his first senior home appearance for the club.
It was a big thrill for the 18-year-old who recently broke into the club's Football Victoria state league side following injuries to some of the club's senior players. But Ralston seized the opportunity, staking his claim in front of the Vikings faithful in a match he'll likely remember for the rest of his life.
"I had no clue I'd be starting a couple of weeks ago, coach just put the squad up in the morning and I saw my name and I thought 'that's different," he said.
"So he just said do your best and my reserve coach said he didn't want to see me in the reserves anymore."
Making his first start two weeks ago, Ralston entered Saturday's contest just fortunate to be playing. But after the ball was parried into his path in front of goal early in the match, the midfielder found himself celebrating the first goal of his senior career.
Twelve minutes later opportunity came again after a cross-ball landed at his feet, allowing him to steer the ball through for a second.
The two-goal performance laid the platform for his side's 4-2 victory and earned the praise of his teammates after the match.
"They were getting around me quite a bit because it was a big occasion being a rivalry," he said.
Sebastopol Vikings coach Michael Goodman expressed delight over the youngster's success, praising his work ethic.
"If you said to me three-weeks ago that Mitch Ralston was going to be scoring a brace in a tight rivalry game at home, I probably would've said its unlikely," he told The Courier.
"But his form and his attitude has been fantastic, he's got a willingness to learn and he's come in and taken his opportunity."
Goodman said it would be hard to drop Ralston now.
"It's a great story," he said.