Conor McManus scored Gillingham’s first goal of the season on his full EFL debut against Northampton Town at Priestfield in League Two

Conor McManus admits joining Gillingham felt like the “perfect opportunity” - and the Irishman could hardly have wished for a better start to life in the Football League.

The 21-year-old made his first league start for the Gills on Saturday after moving from Brentford, scoring just seven minutes into his full debut against Northampton Town.

McManus joined Gillingham for an undisclosed fee this summer after four years with Brentford, where he had been playing for their B team.

His move to Kent was driven by a desire to make the step into senior football - and he made an immediate impact as he helped the Gills end their wait for a goal in a 1-1 draw.

“If I could have dreamed of a full debut, it would have gone something like that,” he said.

“I was obviously disappointed not to get the result, and I think that's something that I probably would have swapped a goal for, if I'm being honest but it was always positive to get on the scoresheet and to help the team perform, but little things to build on.”

McManus had already been on Gillingham’s radar before a pre-season game at Brentford this summer.

He played against the Gills for Brentford B, with manager Gareth Ainsworth watching on - and that performance helped convince the manager to make his move.

“We played them in a pre-season friendly at Brentford’s training ground. I spoke to my previous manager before and he was like, ‘listen, they're looking at you. If you do well, you have a chance to go’,” said McManus.

“Once I heard that, I was playing with a different type of motivation. I just went out there and did my thing.

“I feel like in football, there's so much external pressure. There's no need to put any internal pressure on yourself. I thought, ‘I'll just go out there