Debutant Stephen McMullan answered questions by the local media on Saturday after keeping a clean sheet on his Fleetwood Town debut at Highbury.
The 18-year-old, who joined the club from Warrenpoint Town last summer, has made the step up from Under-18s starter to being second choice for the first-team behind Jay Lynch and made the most of his opportunity on Saturday afternoon as he won the man of the match award on his debut.
Here’s what Stephen had to say after his debut:
On his debut and how he found out…
“I’m delighted with the result, the boys in front of me really helped me as they were able to talk me through the game, and the fact they threw their bodies on the line in the last moments also helped settle the nerves as I was getting used to different aspects of the game.
“I got called up to the gaffer’s office yesterday morning and he just said to me that I’m starting tomorrow, I believe in you. I was over the moon with the opportunity, and I just wanted to seize it with both hands.
“Funnily enough, my dad knew before me as he got told the night before by our Academy manager so when I phoned him up, it wasn’t a surprise to him. He was delighted and so were my family – it was a brilliant feeling and I’m still buzzing.”
On his role models and his family…
“Jay [Lynch] is such a role model around the club, I train with him every day and he always keeps the standards high. Before we left the training ground yesterday, he pulled me to one side and gave me a few bits of advice which really helped me settle into the game.
“Even in the warm-ups, he settled me down by giving me pointers and guides of how the game was going to go and what I might feel in certain moments, he’s a role model that’s for sure. My dad, mum, and sister came over as well as my best friend from Ireland
“They told me they were very proud and that it was a proud moment for the family. My mum told me she was proud of me, she tells me that every day so it’s great to have their support every day of my life.”