The Sheffield Wednesday teenager, one of many thrust into a first team environment long before he might have expected it, had put on what many felt to be a man of the match performance on senior debut, battling and cajoling a youthful Owls side throughout a creditable penalty shootout success in the Carabao Cup.

The performance was not faultless – with Weaver at the heart of defence Wednesday conceded three goals to the 10-men home side of course – but there was a vibe to his evening that suggested he was a figure that could take the misery of his club’s current malaise and use it to build himself an opportunity. Alongside youth colleague Joe Emery, he organised and communicated and from the top of the West Stand didn’t look much like a nervous 18-year-old.

By the time post-match interviews were taking place by the side of the pitch, the teenager was revealed. Weaver emerged from the changing room with a look of happy exhaustion and made his way up the stand to the shrieks and cheers of friends and family who had booked out a hospitality box. It was a moment of pure elation and showed nothing but huge pride from a group of people who had no doubt been with the youngster on every step of the journey to that point.

He took time to accept hugs and kisses and one or two ruffles of a sweaty head. And then, grinning from ear to ear, he wandered back down to a changing room of colleagues, some of which have earned international caps and hundreds of professional appearances. A few days later he stepped off the bench late on against Stoke City to make his Championship bow.

“We have seen more from the young guys, they have done really well and Ernie is one of the guys who is jumping into some deep water,” said Owls boss Henrik Pedersen ahead of the weekend’s trip to Wrexham in which Weaver could once again feature. “He did really well in the away game at Bolton and a lot of the young guys have done really well.

“One thing is what the fans see in the games, but the other thing is how they do in the training, because it is not so easy to come from the 21s or the 18s and jump into a Championship training session. How they are working generally is really, really good.”

Weaver wasn’t alone in showing his talent among the babies at Bolton and is one of several to have had to make the step up to senior training in the club’s effort to flesh out numbers. In discussing the efforts of his younger players, Pedersen spoke with pride at how last season’s rookie Gabriel Otegbayo had come on in the last months and spoke with a satisfaction around the efforts the youngsters are putting in to making a huge step up in the speed and quality of training.

But it was Weaver he namechecked. “He makes some big steps right now,” he said. “For me, when young players are coming up, there are some physically parameters when you look at how fit they are, how strong they are and if they can be part of a Championship game. The other thing is mentally, because young players normally have one or two actions, then a little rest, then another action and another rest.

“He is really, really strong in this. The internet in his head is very strong and he is online all the time. He is good to go from one phase of the game to the next phase and in this case he’s an adult player. Of course he has a lot of things to learn but he is improving a lot and I am really happy with what I am seeing.”

Whatever happens for Ernie Weaver from here is unknown of course. Many a footballer has made a promising debut only to fall away from the longer-term mission and though Wednesday’s summer of misery has offered him and others a chance they may not otherwise have been handed, it’ll be on him to continue his progress. One thing we do know is that Nicky Weaver is not his dad, despite reports.

It’s the earliest of early days but this is an experience that can never be taken from him – and those in that Bolton box.

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