Sam Adekugbe turns 22 on Monday.
Today he got an early birthday present, making his league debut with Brighton & Hove Albion FC in the EFL Championship. The Seagulls fell 2-0 to Preston North End, but Adekugbe once again earned positive reviews – just as he did a week ago in his FA Cup debut.
“It is mixed emotions because I am very disappointed that we lost and we weren’t at our game, but it just goes to show the standards we set for ourselves," Adekugbe told Brighton's official website.
Brighton now sit second in the Championship, one point back of league-leading Newcastle. The top two teams in the league will earn automatic promotion to the English Premier League.
“It would be a dream come true [achieving promotion]," Adekugbe said. "Everything has happened really fast since I’ve been here, and I’ve also been injured ... I must admit I didn’t anticipate making my debut any time soon and I’d love to be part of a promotion-winning team.
“For some young kid from Canada to help Albion get to where they want to get to would be a true honour, but we need to get there first.”
Adekugbe is on loan at Brighton through June 2017.
See below for some photos of Adekugbe from Saturday's match, courtesy of Brighton club photographer Paul Hazlewood.
