A 90th-minute equaliser probably isn't a bad way to get your Cardiff City career up and running.
That's exactly what Callum Robinson did against Burnley on Saturday. After a number of half chances throughout the game, he looked the likeliest player to get City on the scoresheet against the high-flying Clarets.
It probably masked a lot of City's lacklustre attacking showing, with the lack of clinical edge very much on display again by the men in blue for most of the 90 minutes at Cardiff City Stadium. But there was one gilt-edged chance which presented itself, courtesy of a pinpoint cross from Mahlon Romeo, and Robinson, a deadline-day signing from West Brom, powered a low header into the Clarets' goal. It was his first goal for his new club in his fourth game and it's safe to say he is happy to get off the mark.
"I'm buzzing," Robinson said after the match. "It was a tough game, they have got a lot of quality, they play a lot of football and there are a lot of rotations. It was a good game of football, a good one for us.
"We have got a young group. We showed a lot of character to come back. It was a lovely feeling to get a goal and get off the mark quite quickly in my Cardiff career. I'm looking forward to the future.
"The boys have made me feel welcome, they know what I'm here to do, to try and get those goals and assists. I've been working with the boys but it's been a bit stop-start, with the game getting cancelled, then internationals. Now I've got a run of games and I can get to know the boys on the pitch - I've got to know them off it, as well.
"I said after the Boro game when I got two assists and didn't score, pressure is a privilege. If you're at the top end of the pitch, a forward player, you should be getting goals and assists. I love to do that.
"I don't feel any more pressure than I have at other clubs. I know I'm here to help the boys and I know my style of play, I know goals and assists would come. If I'm honest I didn't want to go another game without a goal so I am happy I'm off the mark!"
It was an even contest, all considered, in the Welsh capital on Saturday. Both sides seemingly cancelled each other out, and we shouldn't underestimate the calibre of the opposition. Robinson and his team-mates didn't, that's for sure. He said that, after the game, that draw felt like a win in the Bluebirds dressing room.
"It feels like a win, to be honest, in the changing room," he added. "We knew we had to work so hard against a good quality team. They are going to be up and around it, definitely. Having played in the Championship for quite a long time, that team, with their rotations and good footballers, they will be definitely up and around the top."
It has been a manic start to his life at Cardiff City. In the month he has been here, he has made his debut, had a game against Hull City get cancelled, went away on international break and saw the manager who brought him in, Steve Morison, get sacked.
At 27, Robinson should be entering his peak years. He has pedigree in this division and is by far Cardiff's greatest goalscoring threat. After a stuttering start, for reasons out his control, he wants to knuckle down now and get his Bluebirds career up and running in earnest.
"The style of play really made me interested, because I like to play in those pockets and get touches on the ball," he said of his decision to sign for Cardiff. "In the clips I saw before I signed, I saw lots of lads wanting the ball, good footballers, understanding it is a young group, there will be ups and downs and I understood that. You have probably seen since I've been here.
"We went to Boro and got a win and then we lose to Huddersfield. But there is a lot of quality in that changing room and that's what really made me want to come to this football club, which is a big football club.
"And I wanted to kick on in my career personally. I want to be playing every week and showing people what I can do, which I've done for other clubs in the past. It was a massive opportunity for me to come to a big club with some hungry players who want to prove themselves in this league and in their career."
Robinson was used infrequently at West Brom, typically as a substitute, and he felt he had more to give than that, given his record in the second tier throughout his career.
He bluntly said he does not expect it to be smooth sailing at Cardiff this term, but backs the talent in the dressing room, adding: "At West Brom, I was in and out. When I signed for Cardiff City, I got a half [against Millwall], the next game got cancelled, then the international break. It will be nice, this block of games over the next six weeks, I am looking forward to settling down, and getting to know the lads a bit more as well.
"It's tough going away for 10 days when there isn't a game. You have your off days, so it'll be nice to get to know the lads on the pitch and get to know them a bit more.
"There have been a lot of signings! We are still trying to get to know each other and gel and how we play. I was the 17th signing so it's going to be a long and hard season for us, but there is a lot of talent and hunger there."
Cardiff fought off some stiff competition for the Republic of Ireland forward's signature. His former club Preston were heavily linked with a move for him before the Bluebirds snared him for £1.5million.
But while Robinson envisages a tough season for this new and relatively inexperienced group, ultimately the vision of the club sold it to him.
"I've done alright in this league, so there were a few clubs looking for forwards," he said. "I've played a lot of games in this league, I've produced for most of the clubs I've been at in this league. If my name pops up, or other lads who have done it in this league, there is always going to be interest. I was grateful for other interest from other clubs, but I chose Cardiff City because I can see where the club wants to go."
Still at a very early stage in the season, it looks like Robinson will be central to the project if they are to shoot up that ladder anytime soon.
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