'Best moment of my life' - Fleetwood Town fans react to EFL Cup win over Premier League champs Arsenal
‘We are Fleetwood, yes we aren't the biggest or the best, but we put up a fight.’
The people of Fleetwood have reacted to one of the ‘proudest moments’ in their town’s history after the Cod Army made history and beat the Premier League champions Arsenal last night.
Fleetwood won the EFL Cup tie 5-3 on spot kicks after £75m signing Bruno Guimaraes’ penalty was denied by Jay Lynch. Teenager Connor Haughey smashed home the winner, sparking crazy scenes and a pitch invasion at Highbury.
A plethora of footballing legends praised the Cod Army for their well-drilled and resilient performance last night, along with celebrities, pundits and fans of other teams.
Now, just 15 hours on, the Cod Army faithful have had their say on what was undoubtedly one of the proudest nights in the club’s 118-year history.
Speaking to the Gazette on the pitch, one young fan said: “‘This is the best moment of my 19 years so far, I can't even put it into words. I think we’ve shown that, yes we are Fleetwood, yes we aren't the biggest or the best, but we put up a fight, and we deserved it. When asked about the atmosphere, the 19-year-old remarked: ‘I bet they can hear this back at the Emirates in London!’.
Another woman, who said she has been following FTFC for nearly 30 years, said: “‘I think it's massive for the town to beat the champions of England, the money, the attention, it's fabulous. Brilliant night, one that I'll never forget.
All the latest news and top stories from across Blackpool and the Fylde coast directly to your phone.
Never miss a thing. Click here to join
“This is the best night in our history, we’ll never see anything like it again. I'm so proud, every single one of them did the town proud tonight,” she added.
Fans and residents also took to social media to share their wild experiences of the celebrations. One man described the scenes as ‘chaotic’, adding ‘I’ve not celebrated like that for years and years’.
Fleetwood will find out who they will face in their historic Quarter Final tie tonight, like on Sky Sports Main Event from 10pm onwards. Manchester City, Liverpool, Chelsea and Aston Villa could all be in the hat tonight, depending on how results pan out tonight.