GRAYS midfielder Glenn Poole has confessed to feeling like a great weight has been lifted from his shoulders after he bagged his first goals of the season during Saturday's 6-0 win over St Albans.

Poole, who finished last season as the club's top scorer, admitted the burden of not finding the back of the net this campaign had been playing on his mind and that pent up frustration was there for all to see when he eventually did break his drought at Clarence Park.

The 25-year-old was a tad fortunate with his first goal after it was deflected off him into the back of the net but his second was a trademark Poole goal and the celebrations that followed showed how much it meant to him.

Poole said: "It's a massive relief for me. That was the longest run I had gone without scoring for four or five years now so to get two was so pleasing.

"The first one was unintentional I didn't know too much about it, it hit my shin and flew in and the second one I was so over-joyed with. That was definitely my goal and I was pleased with it."

And the ex-Thurrock man believes now he has opened his account he will go from strength to strength.

He said: "I think that after last year teams now know how we play and know the danger men. Obviously Kights has carried on from where he left off but it's been a bit different for me. I've been asked to play a little bit deeper and help the team out a bit more. I'm a team player I want to win so I was happy to do that.

"But the last few games the gaffer has asked me to play forward a bit more and I'm sure the goals will come now. They were the only things that were missing from my game. Now I have the goals a weight has lifted from my shoulders and hopefully they will keep coming."

Poole wasn't the only man in the away dressing room on Saturday afternoon with a sense of relief though as collectively the whole side felt the gloom of the last month or so, where they have won just once in nine outings, lift after just 90 minutes of football.

"We have been saying in training this week that a team is going to take a hiding from us and it has happened today," said Poole. "On our day I believe we are the best team in the league but things haven't been going for us. Today everything came off and we could have had more than six which is what we were doing last year.

"I can honestly say the mood in the dressing room has never been down. This is the best team spirit I have ever known. We always go out together. We are always round each other's houses in the afternoons The spirit has never been in question it's just a case of not being lucky.

"Now after today you can't say there's anything wrong, we will be alright without question."