He made a promising start, converting a chance on the fifteen-minute mark after being left unmarked in the Matlock penalty area. Emergency right back for the first team, Paul Robson, went down injured five minutes later.
I prayed it wasn't serious. We only have a small squad, and I need my fringe players fit just like the first-team regulars in order to mount a serious run in the league.
Koroma doubled the lead early in the second half, pouncing on the rebound to an ambitious Lloyd-McGoldrick strike from out wide that bounced off the post.
Then on 76 minutes Matlock pulled the score back to 2-1, tearing open our defence with an excellent through ball and a clinical finish. The calibre of my Reserve team defenders leaves a lot to be desired, so I was hardly surprised.
An excellent piece of attacking play left Koroma unlucky not to complete his hat-trick in the 90th minute, but the lads still came out winners.
It turns out that Robson fractured his jaw. He'll be out for 5 to 6 weeks. With luck, he won't be missed.
My first port of call after the match was to offer Koroma a contract—he proved himself worthy. Problem was, my budget was limited. I could only offer him £300 a week, plus some bonuses, but he wanted around £500. He stepped down to £375 after my initial offer, then refused to go further...until I increased his loyalty bonus to £2,200 and offered a £2,900 bonus for scoring 20 goals in a season.
I got him, pending some paperwork and confirmation. He should be ready to debut in the next league game.
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