Peterborough United matchwinner’s perfect debut, but there is more to come from dashing defender Bali Mumba, including a decent goal celebration!

Bali Mumba of Peterborough United celebrates his winning FA Cup goal against Bristol Rovers.

Mumba came on at half-time in today’s (January 8) FA Cup third round tie with Bristol Rovers at the Weston Homes Stadium with the score at 1-1.

Less than 20 minutes into his first appearance of a loan spell from Norwich City and Mumba was scoring a high quality goal - his first in a competitive first-team game - to win the tie for Posh and secure the first man-of-the-match award of his senior career.

“I couldn’t have imagined a better debut,” Mumba beamed after the game. “To score and for it to be the winning goal is amazing. To score the goal in the FA Cup puts a smile on my face. I need to work on my celebration though. I didn’t really know what to do!

“The manager just told me to go and do my thing and I took that on board. I had watched the game closely in the first-half and saw there was space out wide to exploit so that’s what I tried to do.

“I tried to be positive with the ball and it came good for the goal. It was good play and a 1-1 with Sammie (Szmodics) got me into the penalty area. The defender reached for the ball and missed it so I felt this was my time and took the opportunity.

“I was really happy at the end of the game, but I didn’t realise I had won the man of the match until someone told me in the dressing room. It’s the first time I’ve won a man of the match.

“I have a point to prove here, but I’m not there yet. There is lots of improvement required.”

Mumba is on loan from Norwich until the of the season and Posh boss Darren Ferguson was naturally delighted with the initial impact of a dashing defender.

“We watched Bali for a long time,” Ferguson said. “He will be a good signing for us. He’s obviously very quick and he has good quality as he showed as soon as he went on. He won the game with a great piece of quality.

“He can play either side of the defence and I just sent him on to give us some energy and to take advantage of the space out wide. He did it perfectly.”

Fergie reaction