Head coach Slaven Bilic hailed the way Tobi Adeyemo scored the opening goal in yesterday’s 2-0 win over Blackpool, saying many young players would not have been so brave.

The 17-year-old had only been on the pitch for four minutes in his home league debut when Yaser Apsrilla’s sublime pass split the visitors’ defence and put Matheus Martins clear in the area.

The Brazilian winger saw his shot parried by Blackpool keeper Chris Maxwell and, when the ball looped up and across the box, Adeyemo repositioned his body to turn and sent a left-footed shot past the lunge of defender Jordan Thornley and Maxwell’s despairing dive.

“Just analyse the way Tobi scored the goal,” said Bilic.

“Many young players in that situation would only have the aim of hitting the ball.

“They wouldn’t want to mis-hit it. They wouldn’t want to be embarrassed, you know what I mean. They end up barely touching the ball

“But not Tobi. He wanted to score,” said Bilic, clapping his hands together loudly and adding, “He gave it a proper finish.

“That was good, I like that mentality.”

It was always the intention to bring Adeyemo on for the latter stages, but Bilic had a different plan in mind to the one that unfolded.

“We always planned that he was going to come on,” he said.

“We were hoping we would be winning and then the last 20 minutes we’d put him on and he could close them down with his running.

“But as it turned out we needed him to be different, and to be creative and good on the ball. That’s exactly what he did.”

The Watford head coach took time during the week to speak to his young players, and get to know more about them.

“I told Tobi and Jack Grieves the same: they are young players and although they play responsibly they also play with freedom.

“Tobi is big, he’s strong, he listens. I spoke with him and Jack over the last couple of days, and I found they are both local boys. They don’t come from here or there, they are local boys.

“The club is in their genes, and it’s in their family genes. That can only help. I am pleased for them.”

Although he only came on for the last 15 minutes of the FA Cup tie at Reading, Adeyemo’s cameo caught Bilic’s eye.

“We told the younger boys a couple of days before the Reading cup tie they would be involved,” he said.

“I liked what I’ve seen in training and Tobi, when he came on at Reading, he lifted the whole team with his running and his brain. He does what a manager asks of a player in that position.”

The injury situation has led to many of the club’s younger players appearing in the first team when they probably otherwise wouldn’t have got the chance. Bilic accepts that, but praised them for seizing the opportunities given to them.

“Make no mistake, a few of the young players got a chance today because of injuries. Let’s not lie and say they would be playing if four or five of our senior players were available.

“To win any game is great, but to win a game when you finish with seven players aged under 21 on the pitch – some of them making debuts – it is very special.

“The best way to introduce new players, when they are young, is to bring them in slowly and when games are won at 2-0 or 3-0.

“Today we had young players coming on in big pressure situations and they responded so great. I am very, very proud of them.”