Nottingham Forest Under-18s battered Wolves 4-1 and Detlef Esapa Osong was sensational throughout the contest.
The Reds were no match for the hapless Wolves who were forced to lick their wounds and accept Esapa Osong’s brilliance.
It meant a timely return to form for the Reds talisman who has been on something of a barren streak of late.
The Forest talisman had failed to bag for the under-18s during 2022/23 but yesterday he found his scoring boots.
Esapa Osong went home with the match ball under his arm and this performance will have given him a timely confidence boost.
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The 18-year-old is a fantastic young talent and last season he really came of age in the Forest team.
The powerful striker scored 15 goals and was a large presence as the under-18s reached the FA Youth Cup Final.
Esapa Osong has a brother coming through the ranks at Derby County but the Forest striker is worth his weight in gold.
The teenager looks like a brilliant talent that is coming through the ranks and his performance yesterday was fantastic.
Yesterday, Esapa Osong opened the scoring on four minutes and scored his second after 33 minutes.
He rounded off a vintage performance by securing his hat trick with 25 minutes remaining.
Esapa Osong produces sensational performance
It will be very intriguing to see how the club plan to develop Esapa Osong.
On one hand, some are hoping that he will sample men’s football very soon but a loan does look some way off just yet.
Perhaps, for now, he’s better served trying to play his way back into some form with the academy ranks at Forest.
One thing is for sure though that Esapa Osong is very much a real star of the future.
The Reds are very fortunate to have him and ultimately, he looks set for a bright and burgeoning Forest career.
Two of his goals yesterday were penalties but despite a lack of form, he had the confidence to step up and tuck them away.
Forest absolutely have one to watch in Esapa Osong and his development looks fascinating.