The defender headed home from a second half corner to halve the deficit to 2-1 on the south coast in the Carabao Cup, and the 17-year-old spoke buoyantly about his special moment.
He said, “I didn’t think it was real, it’s what you dream of when you’re growing up.
“To do it for my hometown club as well was just amazing and makes it even better, although we didn’t go through it’s a night I’ll never forget.
“I didn’t get much sleep, I wanted to spend the time afterwards with my family – there were so many messages and I wanted to share it with them.
“I still can’t really get over it now, scoring on your debut with man of the match as well is fantastic.”
Roberts revealed that he had friends and family aplenty inside the Amex against the Villains, and he spoke about what the occasion meant to both him and them.
“I knew I was going to be in the side a few days before the game, as soon as I knew I told my dad," he continued.
“He’s been there since my first training session and I still ask him for advice now, he’s my role model.
“I’m just happy to share these moments with people – my uncles and two cousins were behind the home dugout and I had a lot of friends sitting in the north stand too - they got a lot of pictures of me when I scored, so it was a great evening.”
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Dean Smith’s side advanced to the last 16 of the competition after fielding a far more senior side than the Seagulls and running out 3-1 winners, and Roberts reflected honestly on the contest.
“There was a difference in the ages of the sides, but we more than competed.
“They looked like a top side and their experience did show, but when we got the goal we looked like we could have gone on and got another, it did give us belief.
“The third saw the game off and it was a good goal from Jack Grealish, but there was a big sense of belief after my goal and the stadium appreciated our efforts against players who play each week in the Premier League.”