A former coach of a Belfast teenager who hit the limelight on Tuesday night by knocking Premier League champions Arsenal out of the Carabao Cup has heaped praise on the young footballer.
19-year-old Conor Haughey scored the winning penalty for Fleetwood Town in a shootout against the North London side which gave them a famous victory to progress to the next round of the competition.
More than 80 places separate the two sides in the English leagues.
The young man’s post-match interview with Sky Sports caught the eye of many, particularly in Belfast after emotion got the better of him and led to some colourful language.
The teenager still holds the record of the youngest player to have made an appearance for Glentoran’s senior side at the age of 15 having joined the club just a couple of years previous.
Glentoran academy director Andy Matheson says Haughey’s performance and the interview which followed were no shock to him.
“Conor came into us at 13 or 14 and played a year up, just a great lad and bubbly character as you seen last night,” Mr Matheson said.
“He’s very confident in himself in the way he played, nothing was any hassle to him.
“He’s been there for a while now, we sold him to Fleetwood a few years ago and we’ve been watching him progress.
“I think he got a wee injury in pre season and was out for a while and is only finding his feet and working his way back in.”
Capturing the emotion after the match, a Sky presenter asked what was going through his head as he dispatched the winning penalty. “Top corner and just run like f***,” was the reply from the young man, as the fans descended on to the pitch to celebrate the famous victory.
“It wasn’t a shock to be honest with you, he was always very chirpy and confident of himself,” the Glentoran coach added.
“It wasn’t cockiness, it was just the way he was about himself.
“He went into our first team squad and played for them at the age of 15, that’s massive and it didn’t faze him one bit.
“It’s unbelievable, three months into the season and he’s playing Arsenal in the cup, playing against some of the best players in the world.
“It didn’t faze him at all, as expected because he was always like that. He always wanted to be a footballer and listen and learn.”
