Agbaje: I Really Enjoyed It Wednesday, 19th Oct 2022 12:47 Young defender Edwin Agbaje enjoyed his first experience of senior football for the Blues at Cambridge United last night and can’t wait for more. The 18-year-old right-sided defender was one of three youngsters in the starting line-up alongside midfielder Cameron Humphreys and forward Tawanda Chirewa, while another U21s regular centre-half Albie Armin replaced him for the final minutes. “I’m very happy, first of all just to be given the opportunity by the boss. Very, very grateful,” the Republic of Ireland U18 international said. “I really enjoyed it out there, tried to just play my game as much as possible, tried not to be nervous, just stick to what I’ve done to get to this point. Overall I was happy with the game. “I found out [I was playing on Monday] in training. I was a little bit nervous to start with but then excitement took over. “I was just happy to be out there. I’ve been waiting to get my debut for a long time, it’s been something I’ve always dreamed of, to play professionally. “When I first heard about it I was first nervous but excitement was the overriding feeling.” Had he felt he was getting nearer to a senior debut? “I’ve just kept working, working in training and whatever happened making sure that if the boss wants me to play I’m ready. “Kept working hard in training, always just being happy training and enjoying myself and when it came, it came. Happy that it was today.” Agbaje says he’s trained with the first team on a number of occasions this season, including in warm-ups ahead of home matches. “This season I’m been in and out with them, trained on a couple of occasions with them,” he continued. “Very good whenever we go over, all the young boys, always encouraging. “The players when we go with them they’re always so open towards us, if we make a mistake they’ll jut keep us going, which is really needed when we’re the younger guy in the team. “Every time I’ve been over with them it’s been very enjoyable. You learn a lot when you go over and train with them. “Every time I train with them I just try to take as much as I can away from every training session.” As anticipated, there was a step-up in terms of physicality and pace from what the youngster from Edenderry, County Offaly has been used to in the U21s. “I expected it,” he continued. “It’s different from 21s football or even training. It’s very different but I was expecting it but when it comes you still have to be ready for it as much as possible. It’s a new experience so you’ve just got to do everything you can to be ready for it.” The former Shamrock Rovers youngster aimed to get some good early touches to see his way into the match. “That was my plan, stay steady, try and build my confidence,” he said. “As the game went on, I just felt more calm, felt more myself on the ball, which I was happy with. The first five minutes was just about keeping it steady.” Agbaje says manager Kieran McKenna and his assistant Martyn Pert told him they believed in him and to go out there and play his natural game. “Exactly that,” he recalled. “They just said I deserve to be where I am, make sure I work hard, stick to what’s got me here, so I just took all of that information in, tried to play the way I like to play and my style of play, and I was able to play and it works well with the style, so I was happy.” He was also grateful for the support given to him by his teammates: “They were so good, especially when I was nervous. In the changing room and stuff, just words of encouragement, just telling me to be relaxed, trust in my ability. Those nice words before did help to calm me down. “And on the pitch, on that side we had Luke [Woolfenden] beside me, everyone in midfield, it was very calming. I’d give them the ball and felt more confident around them always supporting me. It was good, it was really good.” Outlining what he brings to a team, he added: “I like to get forward, I like to be on the ball, pass and move, that’s my game. I try to do as much as possible with the ball. I try to defend, just do what the gaffer wanted me to, what was needed.” He was pleased to make his first-team bow alongside familiar faces from the U21s: “It was very good. Whenever we go, we all just tried to work as hard as possible, always try to be ready for whenever the opportunity comes. It’s good to see some of the people that we train with every day are playing here together, it’s good to see.” Agbaje was up against James Brophy, one of Cambridge’s best players, down the Blues’ right and he was pleased to have a serious test on his debut. “When you’re in training you just think ‘Can I compete with them?’,” he said. “Obviously we want to play with the top players in League One, so when you’re playing against them you just want to see how you can compete against them, so having him play against me was good, I enjoyed it.” Having got a taste of first-team football, he now wants more: “Of course! I’m going to go back training, continue working on my game. There’s lots to improve on. I’ll go and watch the game back. “There’s some good stuff, obviously some bad stuff to work on and I’ll just keep working and hopefully whenever the boss needs me again I’ll be ready.” He enjoyed playing in front of the 1,218 travelling Town fans at the Abbey Stadium. “Good support, the fans were brilliant,” he said. “My first experience of it, to have the fans chanting the whole night is brilliant.” Agbaje has been at the club for a couple of years now since joining from Shamrock Rovers where he came through the academy having previously been with local side Edenderry Town. “I’ve been at the club two years, I came in July 2020,” the defender remembered. “Since I’ve been here, it’s been brilliant, different coaches been working with me, helping me on my game. “I’ve moved around to different positions but I’ve tried to take on as much advice as possible and tried to focus on myself and then hopefully if I can get better, then I can get opportunities.” Many fans will first have noticed him when he scored the U18s’ goal in the FA Youth Cup semi-final defeat to Liverpool at Portman Road in the summer of 2021. “Tonight is definitely the highlight but prior to tonight that was the highlight!” he laughed. “That was enjoyable time. Hopefully there’ll be many more of those to come.”
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