ALBION defender Connor Goldson has dedicated his first goal since undergoing heart surgery to his pregnant girlfriend.

He tucked the ball under his shirt after heading the Seagulls into a 2-0 lead against Coventry at the Amex.

Goldson’s girlfriend Kayleigh Higson supported him last year through the emotional turmoil of needing an operation on a swollen aorta.

Goldson said: “I said to my girlfriend if I score I’ll do the celebration for her. She’s pregnant and due in May so I dedicated it to her.

“We’ve got a little boy on the way so it’s exciting times ahead.”

Goldson’s goal came just over a year after the club announced routine screening had identified the heart defect.

The surgery left him with a long scar down the centre of his chest and he was out of action for five months as Albion gained promotion to the Premier League.

Goldson told The Argus: “It was hard, it was emotional. I was lucky and I am back playing so I’m not going to moan about it. It got diagnosed and the surgery happened and I’m back playing now so I’m happy.

“It makes days like this worthwhile, to know what I’ve been through and to know there’s light at the end of the tunnel. It just makes me the happiest person to play and to win and to get a goal. It was a great day.”