The 19-year-old played the full 90 minutes as Frankie McAvoy’s Preston beat League One outfit Morecambe 4-2 in the second round of the EFL Cup on Tuesday.
While the centre-back could not help the Championship club keep a clean sheet, he scored his first goal for the side on the night, getting on the end of a cross from Greg Cunningham.
Expressing his delight at scoring his first goal for Preston, Van den Berg revealed that he has been waiting for the moment since last season and is hopeful that there is more to come.
The Dutchman, who is also thrilled to have the fans back, explained that earning significant playing time and scoring his first goal for Preston are experiences that he will take forward with him.
“Finally! I was waiting last year for maybe an assist and then a goal but now I’ve got my first goal“, Van den Berg was quoted as saying by the Lancashire Evening Post.
“Hopefully there’s many more to come.
“It’s more experience and with the fans being back, it’s good to get used to people shouting at you and celebrating with you.
“Playing every game, scoring too now, I’ll take it all with me and hopefully keep going like this.“
Having scored his first goal for Preston, Van den Berg will be hopeful of contributing to more for the Championship side, while also helping them keep clean sheets.
