Arsenal loanee Daniel Oyetunde scored his first goal in senior football this weekend, netting in an Isthmian League game away to Dulwich Hamlet.
Arsenal youngster Daniel Oyetunde joined St. Albans City on a youth loan at the end of October, with his contract initially running for a month to the end of November 2025.
Oyetunde quickly made his first-team debut as a substitute in St. Albans’ FA Cup defeat to Burton Albion – who play four tiers above them in League One.
The Arsenal youngster then got the chance to make his league debut on Saturday, again coming off the bench against Dulwich Hamlet.
St. Albans were 3-1 down at the time, but just a minute after Oyetunde’s introduction he scored his first goal to put his team right back in it. It was a simple finish, with the striker finding himself in the right place to turn in a rebound after a corner.
But after a late push for an equaliser, St. Albans conceded a counter-attack goal in the 96th minute to secure the result at 4-2.
St. Albans centre-back Jamal Fyfield was part of the coaching team on the day, with the club still on the hunt for a new full-time manager, and he’s been pleased with what they’ve seen from the Arsenal loanee.
“I said to him (that he’d score), to be fair, not even to take credit from the boy because he’s been outstanding in training,” Fyfield began. “Unfortunately we can only play 11 players!”
“But what we saw from him in training, he’s sharp, in and around the box,” Fyfield continued. “We thought that if there’s ever a time for him to get a goal it would be now.
“They’re tired, they’re big centre-halves, they’ve been on their feet for a long time…and in that moment he just popped up in the right place at the right time. Like he has been doing for the u23s at Arsenal, that’s why we brought him to the club.”
This has certainly been a positive experience for Oyetunde so far, getting him his first game in the FA Cup and now his first goal in senior football. If things keep going well, perhaps he’ll end up extending his one-month loan.