Midfielder Bayo Fapetu shines as he makes his professional debut for Derby County

NIGERIA-eligible teenage central midfielder Bayo Fapetu has been made his debut for Derby County as they registered a 4-1 win over Wolverhampton Wanderers U21s in a Bristol Street Motors Trophy clash at Pride Park yesterday.

Fapetu, 18, signed a pre-scholarship contract with the Rams in February 2021 and the deal was upgraded to a scholarship approximately four months later. Derby pulled off a transfer coup luring Fapetu to Pride Park, beating several English clubs to the signature of the Hale End Academy product, who was on the books of Arsenal for a decade.

Yesterday, he was one of the standout performers in the match, which saw three youngsters make their first starts alongside Dajaune Brown and Darren Robinson. Wearing jersey number 42 on Fapetu looked bright in the opening 10 minutes as he got past a couple of players and had the first real chance of the game but fired over from 25 yards out.

In the 13th minute, he met a set piece with a glancing header but his effort went wide of the target. Fapetu nearly then scored a goal in the 34th minute when he attempted to lob Dan Bentley from near the halfway line but the Wolves goalkeeper managed to backpedal and tip the ball over for a corner.

A James Collins' hat-trick and an additional tally from Tony Weston earned the Rams a win. Fapetu, who signed his first professional contract in the summer of 2023, was replaced in the 79th minute.