Why Peterborough United's impressive young debutant couldn't rest on his laurels
There was no resting on his laurels for Peterborough United debutant Fabian Claxton.
The 18 year-old centre-back won man-of-the-match accolades for a strong hour on the pitch during a 2-1 Posh win at Crawley Town in the Vertu Trophy on Tuesday.
But Claxton was back in action the following day playing half an hour in a 5-0 Under 21 win over Crewe at the Weston Homes Stadium. His fellow teenage centre-back Lucca Mendonca actually played three days in a row as he also featured in Monday’s FA Youth Cup win over Boldmere St Michaels before replacing Claxton at Crawley and starting the Under 21 match.
Claxton’s own selection for the first team came as a surprise. He told the Posh Plus service: “I was in the pre-match meeting with the squad when the manager went through the way Crawley played and stuff, but he then pinned the team up and I was in it. That was the first I knew and I was surprised, but mostly excited.
"I didn’t have a lot of time to think about it which was a good thing. I called my parents and they were surprised as well, but my mum, dad and uncle came to watch the game and felt I did well.
"It was a good battle in tough conditions and having Tom O’Connor next to me helped a lot. He talked me through a game that was a lot more physical than I’m used to.
"It’s a big weight off your shoulders to make your debut. We were back late that night and then I had to get up to be involved again on Wednesday. Adrenalin got me through as I hadn’t slept much.”