Nugent Also Sticks Two Up Pompey!

New loan striker, David Nugent was the hero yesterday in our match at home against Sunderland. In his home League debut he came on from the bench after 57 minutes and proceeded to score his first goal for the Clarets with a header 10 minutes later. It got even better for the former Preston forward when he made it a brace after a thunderous shot on 86 minutes secured a 3-1 Burnley victory and maintained our 100% home record in the Premier League.

Nugent was signed on loan from Portsmouth with minutes to spare at the end of the Summer transfer window earlier this month.

He quite clearly feels that his time at Portsmouth has been a low spot in his career after arriving at Pompey in a £6 million deal in the Summer of 2007.

Nugent was featured in an article called ‘The Star of David’ in yesterday’s ‘Claret & You’ matchday programme in which he explained his time at Portsmouth and why his goal scoring appeared to dry-up.

He said:

‘People doubted me at Portsmouth because I haven’t scored enough goals but I can say I’ve never really played there as a striker.I think 80% of my games there were as a right winger so I am not worried too much about the goals. Once you are a goalscorer I think you will always score goals and I believe I will’

Prophetic words indeed after hitting the back of the net twice against Sunderland; a side that nearly pipped Pompey to his signing two years ago.

It is clear Nugent is relishing his time with the Clarets after a torrid time at Portsmouth and looks happy to be back in the North. Nugent was born in Huyton, Merseyside and joined the Liverpool youth academy but at the age of 15 could not secure a professional contract. He finished up at Bury in 2002 where he caught the eye of a number of clubs including Preston but also Burnley under Steve Cotterill. It was Preston though who managed to sign him for a snip in January 2005 for a fee of just £100,000. It was at Deepdale that he really made an impression eventually being rewarded with an England cap under Steve McClaren. Nugent made his debut as a late substitute for England in a Euro 2008 qualifying match against Andorra in Barcelona in March 2007. He also scored a goal with a simple tap in following a shot by Defoe.

Nugent though soon after signed for Portsmouth in July 2007 and was unable to make a name for himself at Fratton Park also falling off the International radar with no further caps to his name to date.
It also didn’t help when former Pompey gaffer, Harry Redknapp tried to immediately offload the striker to Derby in the same transfer window.

‘Everybody makes mistakes and I definitely made a mistake moving down south. I hardly played and when I did I was used as a winger rather than a striker, said the 24 year old speaking to Sky Sports.

‘I am here until January and there is an option to extend the loan. Hopefully I can make it permanent.’

It is clear Nugent would like to become a permanent player with the Clarets and he has got off to a great start after yesterday’s performance

‘I have got to prove wrong the people that doubted me and hopefully at Burnley, I can do that’ concluded Nugent.

Portsmouth must be wondering if they have made the right decision now to let him go after seeing his two goals yesterday especially when you consider their predicament in the Premier League. They have no points from six games so far and are firmly propping up the league in bottom place!

It is clear though that Nugent would not want to return to Portsmouth and it looks likely that Pompey would cut and run and agree to a deal should Owen Coyle wish to proceed after the loan spell.

The News of the World believe £2m could be enough to secure his services.

His current loan completes in January 2009 although it is likely the loan could be extended to the end of the season before a permanent signing is then considered in Summer 2010.

So far so good!


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