Derby County confirmed their place in the knockout rounds of the EFL Trophy with a 4-1 win over Wolves under-21s, with Adebayo Fapetu starring.
The Rams took a 1-0 lead into half-time with James Collins scoring in the 43rd minute.
Wolves managed to peg the Rams back in the 49th minute through substitute Josh Esen, but Collins scored another two to complete his hat-trick.
Youngster Tony Weston, who came off the bench, scored his first goal for the club to secure the win on Wednesday night and subsequently Derby’s place in the knockout rounds.
But one man who starred was Adebayo Fapetu.
18-year-old ‘impressive’
Journalist for the Derby Telegraph Leigh Curtis raved about Fapetu in his player ratings, saying he was ‘impressive’, and gave him an eight out of ten rating for his efforts.
“Keen as mustard in the heart of midfield. Made a couple of sharp interceptions and nearly caught Dan Bentley off his line with an audacious 50-yard lob. An impressive performance. 8.”
Fapetu stars on debut
Fapetu is an 18-year-old midfielder who was given his first start for the first team alongside fellow midfielder Darren Robinson and striker Dajaune Brown.
He made a big impression, in a match where manager Paul Warne changed formation from his usual 4-2-3-1 to a 3-5-2.
Fapetu started in centre midfield alongside Tyrese Fornah, who made his first start in five games.
He impressed on his debut, having 47 touches and completing 25 passes.
He also helped out defensively, making a clearance and two interceptions.
His performance certainly would have caught the eye of Warne, which may persuade him to look to the under-21 side more often.