Oladapo Afolayan was delighted with his “dream” debut against Doncaster Rovers in the fourth round of the FA Cup!
The 23-year-old came off the bench against the League One outfit and scored a tap-in to round off the win after Ryan Fredericks forced a good save from the goalkeeper.
Afolayan has been waiting for his Hammers debut for some time, as he joined the club in 2018 from Solihull Moors.
Since then, he has gone on loan to both Oldham Athletic and Mansfield Town.
On those spells, he only scored once, but he has been toiling for even longer, and he was thrilled to finally make an impact for the Hammers.
Speaking after the game, as quoted by BBC Sport, he said: “I am delighted it is a dream come true. it has been a couple of years of hard work since I joined the cub.
“I thought Ryan (Fredericks) was going to square it but he had a shot and I just followed it in.
“I played 60 mins last night for the U23s. When I came off I got told I was in the squad for today. I just had to go home and prepare. All I can do is come in every day and work hard and pray I get opportunities and take them.
“I have played in the FA Cup before. To score in the fourth round here is a dream.”
Afolayan has been excellent for the Irons’ U23s this season and has scored five goals in 10 games this season, including a run of four goals in four games across the month of November.