Nelson Khumbeni was “over the moon” after scoring his first Morecambe goal during the 2-1 win at Accrington Stanley.

Khumbeni couldn’t have picked a better time to get off the mark for the Shrimps against their local rivals.

“I have been waiting a long time, everyone has been telling me to shoot,” he told the club website.

“I finally got in the box and managed to shoot on my weak peg, and it went in. I didn’t really see it go in, I just had my eye on the ball and hit it. Luckily, it went in!

“It was a massive relief. I had been waiting 12 or 13 games and it is sweet, especially in a derby.”

The Wanderers youngster has become a regular starter at the Mazuma Stadium since heading out on loan in January, getting valuable experience under his belt in League Two.

The Accrington victory was an important one for Ged Brannan’s side – not just to secure the bragging rights, but also ending a run of four successive defeats and moving the side within three points of the play-offs.

“(The first goal) was going to be vital,” Khumbeni added. “We needed to make an impact after losing four on the bounce, we needed a reaction.

“We had been playing and performing well but things hadn’t gone our way, but luckily today they did.

“We talked about (the importance) of it all week, being a derby. Especially off the back of four losses, we needed a reaction, needed to put in a good performance and get a win. I think we deserved it."

Morecambe will be looking to build on the performance when they host fifth-place Barrow on Monday afternoon.

“At the back end of the season, there are no easy games,” the Wanderers youngster insisted. “You are going into every game looking to win, especially against Barrow who are in and around it.

“We are close as well and it is always going to be a difficult game, but we just need to take this performance into the next one and look forward to it.”