ALAN Knight was delighted to see new boy Tom Nichols mark his county town debut with a goal.

The Exeter City teenager came off the bench on Saturday to bag the final goal in the Magpies’ 3-0 victory over basement boys Thurrock – just 24 hours after arriving on a month’s loan.

Analysing the 18-year-old’s display, the Dorchester Town manager said: “It was an encouraging performance and it was nice that he got his goal.

“Thurrock were going for it and we knew things would open up for us, which they did, and Tom certainly looked lively.

“We had to make a decision about whether to start him or not. He hadn’t really met the players until just before the game so we decided to leave him on the bench with a view to bringing him on.

“We did that, he got his goal and if everyone is fit it gives us a selection problem.”

Nichols joined the club with a glowing reference from Grecians’ coach and former Ipswich Town ace Marcus Stewart.

Knight added: “I have seen Tom play before but it was probably a year ago. Marcus Stewart speaks very highly of him and Marcus was a great player, so if anyone should know about strikers it’s him.”

Meanwhile, Echosport understands that the Magpies have rejected an offer for sought-after striker Ben Dickenson.

The unsuccessful bid is believed to have been submitted by a club in the Npower Championship.