Reuben focused on victory not 100 goal target
Reuben Reid is one away from reaching 100 career goals as his Exeter City side travel to Leyton Orient this evening.
For a striker who has consistently found the back of the net while at Plymouth Argyle and Rotherham United, you might expect Reuben to have a single-minded approach to achieving that record, but for those that have watched the 28-year-old forward play for City they will know he is not that selfish.
Reuben already has three assists to his name since joining the Grecians on September 14 and his fingerprints are on most of the moves City make to find the back of the net, with his link-up play and ability to hold the ball up in attacking areas creating plenty of chances. And Reuben highlighted his unselfish approach to the game by saying he would happily swap the three goals he has scored recently, which have all come in defeats, if it meant City had picked up more points.
“That goes without saying,” said Rueben, who netted after 40 second against Carlisle United on Saturday only for the Grecians to concede two late goals in a 3-2 loss.
“When you lose some people close to you or people around you say ‘well, you scored’ and I’m like ‘really?’ Honestly, the last two games have probably been the worst. I was literally close to tears on Saturday, I don’t mind saying that. I couldn’t believe it, because it was so unjust but it is something we have got to work on.”
Asked what it will mean to him if he does get his 100th goal against Orient, Reuben added:
“If I do get there then I can look back at it as quite a good achievement,” he said. “Making 100 games is probably what you set out to do as a young lad. I remember one of my first managers, Ian Holloway, saying you are not a player until you have got 100 games or 100 starts and I’m looking at 100 goals so it probably something I can look back on and I know nobody can take it away from me…..if I get there that is.”
However, Reuben admits he never feels like jumping for joy when he scores and he can’t even decide what he would choose as his best strike.
“It is the same feeling every time, relief,” said Reuben. “It is always relief. It is never really a celebration type thing for me, I just feel relieved that I have got my goal. It is always a nice feeling, but it is more relief for your team and putting your team in a good position.”
“I can’t really pinpoint a goal that I think is my best,” he added. “There have been a lot of different goals. There have been important ones. And the ones that have been most important to me really have been the ones that helped me when I have lost a lot of belief. All of a sudden you score and you get a feeling of ‘yeah, maybe I can do this’, but every goal that goes over that white line, be it a tap-in, a bit of skill, a long strike or a penalty, is a good goal.”