Craig Mackail-Smith has vowed to carry on knocking goals in for Albion in the Championship.

The £2.5 million summer signing got off the mark from close range to secure Saturday’s 1-0 win at Portsmouth.

It completed a memorable week for the former Peterborough marksman following his second cap for Scotland in a friendly against Denmark three days earlier.

Mackail-Smith told The Argus: “I’ll take it. I would have been happy if it hit me in the face and went in. It’s nice to get the win and good momentum for us going into Wednesday (at Cardiff).

“I feel I can do it, I feel I am capable of it. I’ve just got to get in the right positions. As a team we are still learning where I like to play, where I like the ball, and that will still take a few games to get used to.

“But as long as I get the chances and if I can take them when they come then I will score quite a few goals in this league.”

Mackail-Smith is confident he can make up with Albion for the bitter taste of relegation with Posh when he was last in the Championship.

He said: “It’s exciting to be back at this level. I don’t feel as if I have got anything to prove. I feel I did an okay job last time but I just want to play well week in and week out and make sure we get in the top half of the table and hopefully push to get out of this league.”

Boss Gus Poyet is convinced Mackail-Smith’s first goal for Albion will be followed by many more.

He said: “Especially after the summer he had. He tried everything, right foot, left foot, headers, and some how he couldn’t score. He got the chance because he is always there. It’s so difficult to cope with Macca, he is going to give us so much.

“He’s changed our game as well, because any balls that don’t look good he makes good, so he is really important for us.

“I’ve got no doubt he will score goals as well because we are going to get better. I am not talking about results, we are going to get better as a team, understanding how we need to play, when to change the pace.”

Albion head for Cardiff fourth in the table after Liam Lawrence’s stoppage-time penalty for Portsmouth, awarded for handball against Lewis Dunk, hit a post.

Will Buckley was forced off in the first half by a hamstring injury but Poyet hopes to have Will Hoskins (hip) and Kazenga LuaLua (hamstring) available for the trip to Wales.

Poyet added: “Now we need to be careful with the games, because we are losing players and we need to make sure we don’t lose any more, so we need to think about a few changes.”