In his 47th senior career game, Sepp van den Berg scored his first professional goal as Preston progressed to the third round of the League Cup on Tuesday evening.
The 19-year-old has featured in each of Preston’s six games so far this season in what is his second spell with the club, but the latest saw him start in his favoured central defensive role.
The young Dutchman had voiced a desire to get more minutes at centre-back this season and he received just that against Morecambe in the second round of the League Cup.
On the right side of a back three, Van den Berg had his fair share of work to get through against the League One side, but he also had a hand in a number of Preston’s goals.
The first saw his clearance from his own half land in front of Emil Riis Jakobsen and after goalkeeper and defender collided, he was free to score into an open net for his second goal inside 33 minutes.
Morecambe struck back to make it 2-2, with Van den Berg having looked to have conceded another own goal but it would be credited to Anthony O’Connor – the Liverpool loanee would see his name on the scoresheet, however.
He had the last say to make sure of Preston’s 4-2 victory, after Ryan Ledson struck beautifully from outside of the area, by tapping the ball home from close range at the back post.
It was his first in professional football and he duly celebrated in front of Preston’s travelling fans and he hopes “there’s many more to come.”
“Finally! I was waiting last year for maybe an assist and then a goal but now I’ve got my first goal,” Van den Berg told the Lancashire Post. “Hopefully there’s many more to come.
“It’s more experience and with the fans being back, it’s good to get used to people shouting at you and celebrating with you.
“Playing every game, scoring too now, I’ll take it all with me and hopefully keep going like this.”
Van den Berg and Preston have a place booked in the third round of the League Cup and will find out their opponents on Wednesday evening, as will Liverpool as they enter the competition.
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