Last time Albion were preparing to visit Everton, there was one question on fans’ minds.

Would Evan Ferguson, who had only recently turned 18, be handed his first start in the Premier League?

The big Irishman had come off the bench, scored his first Premier League goal and generally looked a handful in an attempted fightback against Arsenal.

Albion lost that game 4-2, a potential comeback cut short by one of those forensic offside calls by VAR when Kaoru Mitoma thought he had scored the seventh goal of a fluctuating contest.

But many of a blue and white persuasion who left the Amex that evening did so with a spring in their step.

Because they were on their way to New Year’s Eve festivities.

Because they had seen a good game of football and a rousing rally by their side.

And because they had witnessed something potentially special in the shape of a young goal-getter.

Something Roberto De Zerbi said near the end of his post-match press conference set one wondering.

“I think he might start him at Everton, you know,” one member of club staff said after hearing the slightly cryptic reply the head coach had given.

So it proved and Ferguson scored in a 4-1 win.

Now, ten months on almost to the day, we wonder the same thing.

How does the teen from Dublin follow up a goal at the Amex as Albion head to Goodison?

It is in a rather different context.

His goal against Fulham was beautifully taken, almost a mirror image of one of those he netted against Grimsby in the FA Cup last season.

De Zerbi said he played well against the Cottagers but that he can do better.

That will have been in general play, given there was nothing wrong with the finish nor a curled attempt to catch out Bernd Leno at his near post a little later.

Joao Pedro has been used as a No.9 of late and the head coach believes that is currently his best role.

The great thing is to have options.

Neither man perhaps offers the ball retention and veteran know-how that one gets with the currently injured Danny Welbeck.

But, with the former Manchester United star out long term, the requirement is there for a front man.

Rotation means both Joao Pedro and Ferguson will have ample chance so it was pleasing to see both score in the last two games.

Ferguson can understand the need to make the most of your minutes.

Speaking in the interview zone after the Fulham game, he said: “I think it’s just part of the rotation that we see every week.

“The team really changes - he (De Zerbi) likes to change it up.

“Obviously fair play because as you seen at the end we had a good few chances to get on the end of something but it is what it is.”

Ferguson’s goal was the result of some homework ahead of the game.

He said: “We always do meetings on the goalkeeper before games and I was told that Leno rushes out, so if you take it early then you might catch him out.

“I’m not sure that he was expecting it to be so quick.

“I think if you can get your shot off early, especially in this league.

“Once you take a touch, they’re all around you, so if you can get it off early as you can, then you’ve got a good chance.”

Ferguson’s hat-trick against Newcastle caused a big fuss over here.

He became the focus of media attention, from Premier record goalscorer Alan Shearer down.

An Irish reporter came over to do a piece about him, as well as Brighton and the Irish connections.

He asked me about the excitement over about his fellow countryman and whether that could put big pressure on him.

The answer I gave was that, while Ferguson is a huge talent and fans love him, he is not alone.

(Quite coincidentally, on Sunday I gave my son’s friend a lift to the game and the 15-year-old was proudly wearing his Ferguson 28 replica shirt).

There is excitement about Ferguson but not excessively so.

The focus does not have to be on one man.

One player does not have to be the beacon of hope. As I told the reporter from Ireland at the time, next week might be Mitoma week.

After the Wolves game, there was focus on Solly March and might he make the England squad?

There might be a time when we focus on Ansu Fati or Joao Pedro or Simon Adingra.

Asked now about the expectation, Ferguson said: “I think it’s different if it’s Ireland.

“I think they’re calling out for someone so they try to put their dependence on someone, and I think it happened to end up being me.

“But we’ve got a good team and a young team and we’re only going to get better as a group because we’re young players and hopefully in a few years we’ll be back to getting into tournaments and qualifying.”

And, over here, strikers like Shearer singing his praises after hitting his beloved Newcastle with that hat-trick?

“I think it’s good. You’d rather be good than bad!

“So, it’s not a bad thing, but it’s all just talk, isn’t it?

“You can only do what you do on the pitch, and they can only comment on what you do on the pitch.”

“So, whether you do good or bad, I’m sure they’ll say.”

Ferguson appears unimpressed by the fuss.

Post-match interviews on Sunday were conducted in quite a subdued atmosphere given what had preceded out on the pitch.

He had already done interviews for the radio and the Premier League’s own in-house TV platform, which provides content for the global market.

But there was a smile or two along the way as he spoke now to myself and another local reporter.

The answers were a bit longer, he opened up a little more than he had on TV.

So here we are again.

Does Ferguson start again, and score again, at Everton?

As in the spiritual footballing home of a certain Wayne Rooney.

Ferguson is the first teenager since Rooney in 2005 to score ten Premier League goals in a calendar year, which is a very decent achievement.

“Yes, not bad, not bad, especially as a kid looking up to him and watching Wayne Rooney play so that’s not bad news,” he said.

“Obviously just seeing the way he was and seeing his documentary now, how young he was and what he did at that age, it shows it’s not impossible, you know what I mean?

“People think it’s impossible but it’s just part of the game.”