Wigan Athletic starlet on opening goalscoring account at the DW

The 18-year-old secured the win - which takes Latics through to the knockout stages of the Papa John's Trophy - with his maiden goal in senior football.

It was a great night for the club's Academy - who provided seven of the starting line-up, plus all three subs - and Sze hopes this is the start of something special.

“I’ve been here since I was 12 and I have got so many people to thank, from when I was younger to coming up through the Academy," he said.

"There are a lot of coaches to thank and my family has been there for me when times haven’t been the best, so I’ve got to thank my mum, my dad and my grandad and everyone who has helped me to get to here.

“They were experienced with a lot of older players, and we had a young side, but we worked hard and got the victory.

"It’s my first game in front of the fans but I’ve got a long way to go so I’ve got to learn as much as I can.”

The joy of celebrating his big moment in front of the Latics fans at the DW is also something that will stay with Sze for some time.

“Every year at the end of the season, we’ve always played at the DW and it’s been a good experience to do it," he said.

“I’ve been lucky enough to play a few games here, so playing for the first team and getting a goal is a dream come true.

“It’s amazing. When you go through the younger ages, you can only imagine it, and now it’s reality!

"When I scored I looked over and saw my mum and my grandad - who've been there all along - plus a few of the Under-18s, who'd come to support us. It was fantastic."

Get 20% off our sports subscription package and stay up to date with all the latest Wigan Athletic news with a year’s subscription to WiganToday for less than 9p a day. Use promo code TRANSFER20