Derby County 5-0 Tranmere Rovers
The FA Cup with Budweiser
Third Round Proper
3pm, Saturday 5 January 2013
Pride Park, Derby County FC
Winning clubs receive £67,500 from The FA's prize fund
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By David Barber
England U17 international Mason Bennett scored the fifth goal in Derby County’s 5-0 win against Tranmere Rovers in Saturday’s FA Cup with Budweiser Third Round tie at Pride Park.
Mason, who was just 16 years 174 days old, came on as a substitute on 84 minutes and found the net three minutes later.
The youngster told his club’s website: “The ball got trapped under my feet and I thought I was going to lose it. But I opened up in a bit of space and thought ‘I’ve just got to hit it and hope for the best’.”
He isn’t the youngest-ever scorer in The FA Cup, Barrow Town substitute Sean Cato having set the record at 16 years 25 days with a goal in their 7-2 Preliminary Round victory at Rothwell Town on 3 September 2011.
But it beats Jonjo Shelvey’s goal at 16 years 311 days for Charlton Athletic against Norwich City at The Valley in a Third Round tie on 3 January 2009.
Mason now holds two records for Derby: youngest player and youngest scorer. When he made his debut at Middlesbrough in 2011, he was just 15 years 99 days old.
Nigel Clough, his delighted boss at Pride Park, said on Saturday: “It’s great for him and it was probably the high point of the day for us”.
Mason has been capped 12 times for England’s U17s, scoring twice, and featured in this season’s St.George’s Park International Tournament in August/September.
He also made two appearances for the U16s, netting three times.
