Nathan Lowe: Teenage Stoke City striker targets starting spot after first goal

Nathan Lowe is a regular member of Stoke's age-group teams up to the under-21s

Teenage striker Nathan Lowe has set his sights on a regular starting spot after scoring the winner for Stoke in their 3-2 victory at Bristol City.

The Potters came from 2-0 down to level the match before the 18-year-old pounced in the 89th minute.

Lowe was making only his fourth senior appearance for Stoke, all of them from the substitutes bench.

"It was a goal hanger's goal and not the most pretty I'm going to score in my career," he told BBC Radio Stoke.

"As a striker you just try and position yourself for where the ball's going to end up.

"I wasn't bothered about the build-up, I was thinking 'I need to score'. It was one of them where you're moving round and then you just get in there - I was in there at the right time and right place."

Lowe made a couple of brief appearances last season and was sent on again in last week's 2-0 League Cup defeat by Bournemouth.

Boss Alex Neil kept him on the bench for the trip to Ashton Gate and he was given his chance in the 65th minute, replacing their Brazilian forward Wesley.

"I'd been told before the game that I was likely to come on," Lowe said.

"I played against Bournemouth, came on and thought I did all right. When you think you're going to come on, you're just picturing what the centre-halves are doing.

"Then when you're 2-0 down you're thinking is this the kind of game you want to go into. But we scored two and I'm thinking 'throw me on now, I want to get in on the action'."

Lowe, who joined the Stoke youth set-up from Cheshire club Egerton, hopes his goal will persuade Neil that he is capable of being more than a bit-part player from the bench.

He said: "I'm a patient man. I can't choose when the gaffer puts me on, I can't choose what I'm thrown into, but what I can control is how hard I work and how well I do around the training ground.

"The next step is to start and then scoring more goals. Because I'm 18, people think I should be glad to be here. [But] I'm ambitious, I want to be starting week in and week out this season.

"I always set high standards and if you don't aim big, what're you doing here?"

Stoke are 16th in the Championship after what was only their third win in nine league games this term and they take on Southampton - relegated from the Premier League last term - at the Bet365 Stadium on Tuesday.