‘It’s a good moment’ – Afolayan thrilled to make senior West Ham debut
West Ham handed out debuts to three academy prospects in their 4-0 FA Cup fourth-round victory over Doncaster Rovers on Saturday.
David Moyes introduced Oladapo Afolayan, 23, Jamal Baptiste, 17, and Nathan Trott, 22, to the action in the second half, with Afolayan bagging the Hammers’ fourth goal.
Along with Mark Noble and Ben Johnson, we ended the tie with five players on the pitch having come through the academy.
Speaking to whufc.com, Afolayan said he was very happy to make his senior debut.
“It’s been a long time coming,” he said.
“I’ve worked my socks off for the last three years, had a few serious injuries and just worked to get back to full fitness and full sharpness.
“I’ve been able to do that this season and I’m just happy it’s paid off.
“It’s a good moment and I can’t wait to see my family and share it with them.
“I’ve got a lot of friends out there who have been there for me through my long journey so to get to this moment shows that hard work has paid off.”
Afolayan took his chance after taking the long route
It was exciting to see the three lads given opportunities yesterday, even better to see was Afolayan beaming with pride upon scoring our fourth goal.
Afolayan was with Chelsea as a schoolboy before moving to Toronto with his family. He moved back to the UK to study civil engineering at Loughborough University, before signing for Solihull Moors.
He joined the Hammers in 2017 but has been rather unfortunate with injuries. The attacker has spent time on loan with Oldham Athletic and Mansfield Town.
To see him come on and score on his debut is a testament to the hard work and dedication he’s put in over the past three seasons.
He’s had to wait a long time for his chance with the first team, we’re sure more will come on the back of this mature display.
In other West Ham news, here are three things we learned in our win against Doncaster Rovers.