Wycombe boss Gareth Ainsworth praised his striker Tjay De Barr, as the youngster stole the show in their second round Carabao Cup tie victory at Stevenage.

Deep into injury-time and with Wanderers 2-1 down at the Lamex Stadium, De Barr knocked in Wanderers’ equaliser with a flying header in front of the Chairboys fans to take the match into a penalty shoot-out.

The 21-year-old then took the final spot-kick and scored to send Wycombe through 5-3 on penalties, intto the third round of the competition for the first time since 2018/19, on what was an incredible debut in English football for Wanderers’ new signing.

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Prior to the match at the Lamex, de Barr was an unused sub in the previous round against Exeter City, and in the league win at Cheltenham.

Speaking after the match, Ainsworth said: “I gave three first team debuts tonight.

“Max Ram had never played a game before tonight.

"He started to cramp up, but he has learned a lot and what it’ll take to play professionally and get into the first team, Adam Pryzbek didn’t much do wrong and he’ll be an asset for us, and Tjay…what a debut that is.

“He’s young, never played in the English leagues, but scored the equaliser and got the winning penalty.

“We criticize agents in the game a fair bit, but I played with Tjay’s agent at Cambridge.

“He gave me a call and said, 'I’ve got a wildcard for you’.

“No-one had heard of him, so I passed it onto Sam Grace, and he deserves some credit again, like with Anis, Max and Andre as Sam said, 'he looks pretty decent'.

“He’s played several times for Gibraltar, but he’s never been tested at club level.

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“Bringing him in is a learning process, and in training, he has been in the right places, and where he got his goal is probably in an area where half-a-dozen strikers may not even be.

“He wants to score.

“The lads have called him the Gibraltar Tevez because of how he looks and plays, and if he gets anywhere near Tevez, I’ll be happy.”

Wanderers started the match the better of the two sides in North Hertfordshire, as they took an early lead through Adebayo Akinfenwa.

The 39-year-old slotted in past Joseph Anang in the Stevenage goal to register his first of the campaign and his first since April.

However, Stevenage came out for the second period all guns blazing, and levelled up through Elliott List, before Jamie Reid got Boro’s second.

Wanderers were out of sorts and it looked like their seven match unbeaten run was coming to an end.

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But Daryl Horgan’s brilliant cross in the dying embers of the game was met by De Barr, who fired in his header in front of the ecstatic Wycombe fans.

Ainsworth continued: “It’s a tough situation to be in, penalties, so to score all five, was really pleasing and I’m glad we got through.

“I’m proud of him [De Barr] as he has taken his chance.

“I’m so glad he scored his goal and the nigh belongs to him.”

Up next is an away trip to Sunderland on August 28.