Aaron Connolly is Albion’s youngest goalscorer since Jake Forster-Caskey.

Only Gary Stevens, the man who featured large in the build-up to the win over Spurs, has netted for the club in the top flight at a younger age.

Connolly is one of six teenagers to have played for the Seagulls in the elite, of whom four have scored.

And he is the first teen to have appeared, and therefore the first to have scored, for the club in the Premier League era.

The 19-year-old will probably not have time to reflect on all that as his whirlwind of a season continues in Abbotstown, base for the senior Irish squad until Thursday.

But, if he gets time, he might also reflect on how things have changed in 12 months.

It was this week last year that he scored a stunner of a goal for Albion’s under-21s at Peterborough in the Checkatrade Trophy.

Head coach Graham Potter offered a shrug and brief answer in his press conference on Saturday when it was suggested Connolly’s second goal against Tottenham was just like the first by Serge Gnabry for Bayern Munich last Tuesday.

In fact, it was very similar to the strike he conjured up on a rather more low-key occasion.

That was a special strike before a crowd of 1,872, including 42 in the away section, at London Road, Peterborough, a year ago this week.

With his young side 2-0 down, Connolly got the ball on the left edge of the box, cut inside and shot – low, but not along the ground – across the keeper and inside the far post.

He described it after the game as probably the first time he had scored for the club from outside the box.

Jordan Davies scored a late equaliser, Leo Ostigard (now with St Pauli) hit the woodwork in added time and Billy Collings (now at Saltdean) saved a penalty in the shootout.

Connolly then put away the winner with a pretty tame penalty which should really have been saved.

All smiles afterwards? Not quite.

Connolly was only playing that night, during an international break, because he had been left out of the Republic of Ireland’s under-19 squad.

After the match, he spoke about his disappointment at that omission.

He mentioned leapfrogging the 19s altogether and aiming for selection with the under-21s.

That sounded a bit fanciful at the time but he duly delivered.

A year on, he is preparing to go to Tbilisi with the senior Irish group following his call-up from the under-21s on Saturday night.

So where does he stand among Albion’s teen sensations?

Connolly was 19 years and 250 days old when he scored against Spurs.

Stevens was still almost two months short of his 18th birthday when, back in 1980, he netted for Albion against Ipswich, the team who let him go as a kid.

He remains Albion’s youngest goalscorer in the top flight with Connolly now second.

Connolly’s fellow Irishman Gary Howlett had 11 days of his teenage years left when he struck on his debut in a 2-2 draw at home to mighty Liverpool in 1983.

Andy Ritchie had already been a 17-year-old sensation at Manchester United by the time he joined Albion in 1980 as replacement for Peter Ward.

He got off the mark for the Seagulls five days before his 20th birthday with a goal against United.

The two teens to play for Albion in the old First Division but not score were Tony Vessey and Chris Ramsey.

Central defender Vessey, who these days commentates on Crawley Town for BBC local radio, made his debut as 19-year-old in a 4-1 win over Coventry City.

Full-back Ramsey was 18 when he was pitched into a run of four end-of-season wins which saved Albion from relegation at the end of the 1980-81 campaign.

Local boy Glen Geard make his one appearance as an 18-year-old back in the old top-flight days but it was in a League Cup tie at Arsenal.

Mick Conway remains the club’s youngest ever scorer in the league.

He was 17 years and 48 days when he scored on his debut against Nottingham Forest in 1973.

Jake Robinson is the youngest ever goalscorer in all competitions.

He was just 16 – ten days short of his 17th birthday – when he scored against Forest Green at Withdean in the Football League Trophy in 2003.

Connolly is the youngest Albion marksman since current Charlton midfielder Forster-Caskey netted from close range against Southampton in the Championship during the 2011-12 season, when he was 17 years and 252 days old.

That’s the history. It’s all about the future for Connolly – with no need to copy Serge Gnabry or anyone else.