Ryan Nelsen's English premiership soccer debut started on a high note as his new club Blackburn Rovers beat Portsmouth 1-0 yesterday.
The All Whites skipper became just the third New Zealander to play in England's top league when he started at right back for Blackburn's away clash.
Nelsen, 27, signed an 18-month deal with Blackburn last week and he wasted little time getting acquainted with the officials after getting booked for holding a man back.
The Christchurch-born player became heavily involved in the first half, putting his strikers into goal-scoring opportunities twice within 10 minutes.
Blackburn scored the only goal in the 54th minute, securing their fifth win from 23 games this season to claim 15th place.
A vital three points for a win was gained which moved Blackburn further away from the relegation zone. Manager Mark Hughes singled out Nelsen and fellow debutant Aaron Mokoena for special praise.
"They all played well at the back today, but for Aaron to come in and play as he did, and Ryan on his debut, I thought they were both fantastic. A good bit of business," Hughes told the club website.
Before joining Blackburn, Nelsen spent the past four seasons playing in the US Major League Soccer (MLS) for DC United.
He recently captained United to their fourth MLS championship in nine seasons and the defender was named in the league's top 11 for the second consecutive year.
Nelsen now looks set to play in Rovers' next premiership home match against Bolton on January 22.
Soccer: Strong start for Nelsen
Ryan Nelsen
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