Northern Ireland boys Jimmy McDonnell and Dale Taylor played key roles in helping Nottingham Forest make FA Youth Cup history last night.
McDonnell donned the captain’s armband and Taylor was in goal as Forrest U18 scored an unforgettable 3-1 win over the ingenious Chelsea in Monday night’s semi-final match at the City Ground.
This is the first time that Nottingham club, who will face Manchester United at Old Trafford, have reached the final of the most famous knockout competition in English football.
Taylor, who beat Northern Ireland 1-0 in a friendly match against Lithuania in November, tied it 1-0 in the 86th minute from close range.
And in the 90th and 93rd minutes, Detlev’s double Isaba Osung in the final, the Forrest youth made history in front of their fans and first team captain Steve Cooper.
On Instagram, McDonnell, who represented Northern Ireland at my U-19 and U-17 levels, wrote: “What a night, in the final.”
Taylor and McDonnell, both 18, played a pivotal role in bringing Warren Joyce’s team to the final this season.
Taylor also scored against Bristol City and Peterborough in previous rounds, while McDonnell was in goal after penalty shootouts with Cambridge United.
Forrest coach Joyce, former manager of the Manchester United reserve team, described Monday night’s win as “fantastic” and a “really good night”.
(Photo: INSTAGRAM: jamiemcdonnell10)
“I thought we weren’t really lucky to score with a skew, and you can easily spoil yourself, especially when you play for a team like Chelsea,” he said.
“You can look, give in and think about it. We didn’t. It was a team effort and they were dealing with highly skilled international players who were above them.
On the historic result against the City’s support team, Joyce added: “They were also supported by the first-team players and the coach.
Two or three players (top) came to talk to the boys before the game and it was very helpful.
“The lessons they learned this evening are invaluable, the pressure they endured as a result of the 1-0 defeat and revenge confrontations.
“It does not surprise me, because it appears to me every day.”
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Source: Belfastlive
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