'Wednesday I found out' - Nwoko reveals when he learned he would make Fulham debut
Fulham have qualified for the third round of the Carabao Cup following an emphatic 3-0 win over AFC Wimbledon on Thursday night, with Emile Smith Rowe, Rodrigo Muniz and Gonzalo García all getting on the scoresheet.
From a Nigerian perspective, the highlight of the fixture was Super Eagles-eligible midfielder Chibuzo Nwoko making his senior debut, eight years after joining the Cottagers from Chelsea.
Wearing the number 34 shirt, Nwoko replaced fellow academy graduate and 2026 World Cup star Luc de Fougerolles, who could not continue after suffering an injury in the 68th minute.
Nwoko revealed that he only found out he had been included in Fulham's squad on Wednesday before being handed his senior debut against AFC Wimbledon.
Speaking to FFC TV, he stated: "I feel amazing. First of all, I want to thank God as always. It's a proud moment for me.
"I think it's been something that I've been working hard towards for a long time. I'm just grateful for all the support my family and staff have given me, so it's a good moment.
"Yesterday (Wednesday) I found out I was in the squad and then about 50 minutes or so I got sent out to warm up so I knew I was coming on, so after then I was just waiting for the time to come on to be honest."
The youngster also praised the atmosphere at Craven Cottage and credited his teammates with helping him settle into the game.
"It felt good. The atmosphere was good, my teammates helped me, had a lot of touches. I think I had a good game, so positive definitely for me.
"The game opened up so there was a lot of space that I was able to run into so when it opened for me, I had space to shoot. Unfortunate that it got blocked but next time."
Nwoko joined Fulham at the age of 12 and acknowledged the coaches, family members and staff who have supported his development.
"Yes definitely. Joining at the start of my U13 year, so all the coaches that I've worked with, family come to support me leading up to this.
"And then obviously thankful to the manager because h's given me a chance and he shows belief in me and gives me confidence, so he's a key reason for me doing this as well."
Nwoko trained with Fulham's first team during preparations for the new season and participated in friendlies against Al Ahli SC and Stuttgart.
When asked about his relationship with Fulham manager Álvaro Arbeloa, Nwoko responded: "He's really positive. When he tells me to come on, he tells me to play just as I play, be confident and he gives me a lot of confidence when I come on to do the job.
"He's a great character, he motivates the lads a lot so whenever I come on under him, I feel really confident."
Nwoko's debut was made even more special by sharing the pitch with his long-time teammate Luc de Fougerolles.
"I've been with Luc for eight, nine years so to both share the pitch at the same time. I mean he came off when I came on but to be on the pitch same game is really a special moment."
In search of first-team opportunities, Nwoko spent the second half of last season on loan at National League club Forest Green Rovers, where he made 20 appearances and scored his first senior goal.
Ifeanyi Emmanuel
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