The 21-year-old striker was one of just a few players in Saturday's line-up to have played in City's last season in the National Premier Leagues (NPL) in 2017 before the club's senior team went into recess.

He had never before played in a senior win.

Burns, who provided the game's only goal at the 30-minute mark of the opening half at Strathfieldsaye, said it was tough to describe the emotion and joy of finally breaking through for a win.

"That was one of the best," he said.

"I've never played in a senior win, so to be able to come back to the club and play with heaps of my mates and to get the first three points for a senior team in Bendigo in a long time, that's unreal.

"I played seven senior games when I was a 16 and 17-year-old and we won none of those.

"It was very hot out there (on Sunday), the boys really dug deep. It was a very mature win.

"To go one-nil up and be able to soak up all that pressure and to not make any silly mistakes that could have led to an equalising goal, it was a mature win and good game management."

READ MORE: Bendigo City seals perfect Men's State League debut

While his introduction to senior football at Bendigo City in the tougher NPL back in 2017 was in many regards a battle, Burns sees things being far different this time around.

An obvious delight was the depth of young talent on the park on Saturday, with playing coach Greg Thomas and acting skipper Daniel Purdy the only two players aged over 23.

"We have players like Sammy Pitson in the midfield and he's 16 - it's insane," Burns said.

"Most of the boys are around my age, 20 and 21. It's great to see them maturing.

"We've definitely gelled together a lot as a team. We're enjoying a lot of stuff away from football to get o know each other and to get closer as a group.

"When you do that, it leads to wanting to be there for your mates and wanting to playing for each other.

"We've come a long way from when we first stepped on the field at training."

While Burns, who played NPL soccer at three clubs, including Goulburn Valley Suns, in between his senior stints at Bendigo City, created a slice of history by becoming the first City player to score a goal in the Men's State League, he said his focus was definitely team first.

"I'm pretty happy to have scored, but I wouldn't have been able to do it without my team-mates around me," he said.

"It was a team goal ... definitely."

His other focus is on this Saturday's away clash against Lara United, with the striker believing there are still some things to work on and tinker.

"I think our structure up forward, myself included, needs to work on how we are going to be pressing the ball and making smarter runs off the ball," the former Bendico City junior said.

"We are doing a lot of good things, but there's always room for improvement.

"We said our only priority (on Saturday) was to get three points. Whether it's one-nil, or five-nil, its all about the three points.

"This is where it all starts."

READ MORE: Successful season earns Burns a crack at next level

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