Pools forward Gary Madine scored his first goal since December 2022 on Tuesday night, nearly two years ago.

It’s been a rocky road since that afternoon where Madine, playing for Blackpool, found the back of the net against Cardiff City in the Championship.

In March 2023, Madine suffered a serious ACL injury against Bristol City that would rule him out for 18 months.

He returned to the North East and signed for Pools, making his debut in late August against Braintree Town.

And, 23 months on from his last goal, Madine got on the scoresheet on Tuesday night in a 2-0 home win over Fylde.

After being subbed on in the 86th minute, he fired home a rebound in the 88th to score his first goal in the blue and white.

“I could’ve cried,” Madine admitted at full time.

“It’s been a long journey with a lot of hard work. There’s been people along the way that have doubted me, I’d like to think that moment proved them wrong.

“I’ve been desperate to score for this club. The lads have been superb with me and I love coming in everyday.

“I’m not the complete package yet. There’s still a lot more to come from me and I can’t wait to kick on from here.”