Kgaogelo Chauke reacts to first Exeter City goal

Exeter City loanee midfielder Kgaogelo Chauke has admitted maintaining a starting place in the EFL League One will be tough but insists such competition is good for him.

The Southampton teenager, on loan at Exeter, got off the mark when he was handed his first start for the club on Tuesday night.

Unfortunately, his goal could not win Exeter City the game as they went down 2-1 to Newport County in their opening Papa Johns Trophy group stage match. Newport County came from behind to take the three points.

Chauke’s goal came in the second half, but goals from Chanka Zimba and Omar Bogle turned the game on its head late for the Welsh side. He received a fantastic delivery seven minutes into the second half down the right-hand side, six yards, and he finished with aplomb.

The 19-year-old felt his teammates ‘lacked a bit of quality’ on either box and were punished for that.

“Obviously, the lads showed good intentions, but we just lacked a bit of quality in both boxes, defensively and attacking,” he said in a post-match interview.

He admitted competition in the squad would be stiff but believes the experience will go a long way in giving academy players the much-needed exposure.

“League One is going to be harder fighting for your spot than before, but this competition gives players like me, or other academy lads, to show what we can do,” Kgaogelo Chauke said.

He was elated to have scored his first goal in only his first start. “Definitely a great moment for me, to have a goal and have an impact on the game. I couldn’t really ask for much more,” he added.

Chauke became Matt Taylor’s second signing of the summer window after joining the Grecians in July for his first professional loan move.

At the time, the highly rated Southampton academy prodigy [Kgaogelo Chauke] said he believed Exeter was the perfect place to further his development.

“It’s my first loan, and this is the perfect place for me in terms of the development that goes on here.”

Exeter are ninth on the League One table, having played six games so far. They won two, lost two and drew twice.

They play MK Dons on Saturday in their next league game, and Chauke will be hoping to play a part in that match.