Bailey Cadamarteri on Sheffield Wednesday 'kick in the teeth', new role and scoring for England

For a young man who has plundered hundreds of them across every level from toddler to first team, he doesn't seem to quite know how to do it.

No ice-cool nonchalance, no carefully-choreographed routine, no chest-beating, no vein-bulging displays of aggression. When you look at what he's doing at Championship level and consider how he handled the pressure of leading the line for Sheffield Wednesday as they emerged from their worst-ever start to a league season, it's easy to forget he's just 18 years old.

When he wheels away from scoring as he did in Friday's draw with Swansea City for the fifth time at senior level, almost bashful or embarrassed in accepting the adulation of players he grew up watching and thousands of fans, you're reminded that, really, he's just a kid.

Friday's opener was his first league goal in over 100 days, scored in his first league start in 45. From his full debut in November, he started 10 league matches on the spin and in a whirlwind fortnight in December bagged three goals in four. For a teenager whose rise has only blitzed upwards since arriving in the more senior of Wednesday's academy sides in the last few years, the arrival of Ike Ugbo and his reduced role has provided a fresh mental challenge. It's one he's handled breezily, with help from a man who knows.

"I speak to my dad about it a lot," he said, his old man being former Everton and Bradford City forward Danny, who made over 350 appearances at senior level and burst onto the scene as a teenager at Goodison Park. "It's what happens in the game, sometimes you're going to be in the team, sometimes you're going to be out of the team. It's how you respond to it and getting yourself back in. I feel like I've done that well by getting the goal."

Indeed he did. Cadamarteri's goal against Swansea, an instinctive finish poking home Bambo Diaby's headed effort, justified Wednesday's approach to a first half in which they allowed Swansea 79% possession and kept them at arm's length, spurning chances in the second half to take a point after a second half they dominated.

While the Yorkshire-born forward may celebrate his goals with a boyish charm, he speaks with assured confidence and said while he appreciated the painful nature of Jamal Lowe's equaliser, pointed to a bigger picture with seven matches to go.

"It was good to get a point," he told The Star. "We know we need points to get out of the situation we're in. At the end of the day we wanted three, so we're going to have to get back to the training pitch and work on it. Conceding how we did, it's a bit of a kick in the teeth. We did so well to go 1-0 up and then to concede from a set piece. We know we can be better than to concede from a set piece like we did.

"We're going up the hill. We've got a good set of lads and a good playing philosophy, so as long as we keep to that, trust in the manager and trust in ourselves, I think we'll be fine."

Cadamarteri's burgeoning career took another step up the ladder in the last fortnight as he was handed the opportunity to represent his country. He played twice for England under-19s in friendlies played in Morocco and bagged his first international goal from the penalty spot in a narrow defeat to USA. The squad consisted mainly of academy players from Premier League clubs and the Owls man was proud to be able to take his senior experience to national level.

He said: "It was a good experience, getting out there and being able to pitch myself against players from different clubs. Some of the guys there play for the very highest-level clubs but are playing 21s football, it's a lot different to playing first team football in the Championship. I felt good. My experience was made a lot easier because it was a good set of lads and a good coaching team, so I thought I took to it well."

Wednesday are very much going up the hill. With seven matches to go, you rather fancy Bailey Cadamarteri's impressive, twist-and-turn breakthrough season might have another important moment in it as he chases Championship survival with the club he's grown up at.

One of those endearing celebrations to keep them up on the last day at Sunderland? You wouldn't bet against it.