Carlisle United’s Freddie O’Donoghue has remarkable journey

Freddie O’Donoghue, one of the Carlisle United youngsters who caught the eye against Notts Forest Under-21s in mid-week, says it’s been surreal.

The young Manxman has made a remarkable journey from playing for his local Peel AFC to making his professional debut against Forest.

In only 18 months he had gone from playing with his friends to his big moment against Forest, a moment he has described as a dream come true.

The youngster has been speaking to his local newspaper on the island, the Courier, and he said: ‘It’s surreal, to be honest, from where I was 18 months ago, playing local football with my mates and just enjoying my football to stepping onto the pitch to make my professional debut, especially at my age.

‘Moving away from home at my age was obviously a big learning curve, but after two to three months, I had completely settled.

“The club has a huge history and I only realised how much it meant to the city and the fans after I came here. Everyone has been great, and I can’t thank them enough.”

O’Donoghue’s journey to Carlisle was set in motion while he was playing for one of Dundee Football Club’s junior teams in Scotland.

A series of strong performances caught the eye of the scouts, leading to a trial and a two-year contract offer.