Former Rangers striker Kyle Lafferty scored his first goal for Reggina on Monday night in a Serie B fixture against Venezia.
The 6ft 4″ attacker won six major trophies at Ibrox between 2008 and 2012 before returning in 2018 for a less successful one-year spell.
With his playing time limited, his contract was terminated by mutual consent in July 2019 and he has since represented Norwegian club Sarpsborg and EFL League One side Sunderland, before joining second-tier Italian outfit Reggina in the summer on a two-year deal.
Lafferty previously found success in Serie B with Palermo during the 2013/14 season, alongside current Juventus star Paulo Dybala, yet he’s found things tougher this time around.
Prior to Monday night, the Northern Ireland international had made 9 appearances in all competitions without scoring or registering an assist.
However, he earned just his third league start against Venezia at the Stadio Oreste Granillo, alongside former PSG and AC Milan attacker Jeremy Menez, and he opened the scoring in the 11th minute.
It was Lafferty’s first goal since netting a brace for Sunderland against Gillingham in March, and he pointed to the sky in tribute to his late sister, Sonia, who tragically passed away in November.
The hosts weren’t able to hold on to their early lead, though, with Venezia scoring twice in the final 15 minutes to pull off a comeback win.
The ex-Ger’s new club sit 15th in the Serie B table and are just a point above the relegation playoff places after 12 games.
Meanwhile, a number of fringe players are set to leave Ibrox during the January transfer window.
