Former UCD defender Cathal McCarthy was handed a start for Hull City against Premier League giants Chelsea last weekend.
15:30, 17 Feb 2026
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Cathal McCarthy of Hull City tackles Estevao of Chelsea(Image: Scott Llewellyn/MI News/NurPhoto via Getty Images)
Irish defender Cathal McCarthy has opened up about the moment he was told he would start in the FA Cup against Chelsea.
The former UCD defender was given the nod last weekend for Hull City’s clash with the Premier League giants - and he had his own personal fan club at the MKM Stadium for the game.
While Chelsea claimed a comfortable 4-0 FA Cup win, McCarthy described the occasion as a “proud” one for the 19-year-old and his family.
He now has 10 first-team appearances under his belt for the Championship side since his move last summer from the League of Ireland.
“It is a proud moment for myself and my family,” he said. “I suppose if you told me a few months ago that I was going to be playing against Chelsea in the MKM, I wouldn’t have believed you at all, and I would have absolutely taken the opportunity.
“It’s just a proud moment for me and my family, and I'm just very thankful that the gaffer threw me in and trusted me.”
McCarthy found out in the build-up to the game from manager Sergej Jakirović that he would make the first-11.
“You kind of have an idea during the week, with the shape on Wednesday or Thursday, then on the Thursday you get told that you are starting,” he said.
“I was over the moon to get that experience, albeit the result, but again it was nice to get 80 minutes under the belt, especially against a team like that.
“You are not going to get that experience in the Championship.
“I suppose this happened to me last August, I was told I was starting against Blackburn. I was very excited, but I was also very nervous.
“It was my first time playing in front of the fans, so I was very nervous in August.
“But this time I was a bit more relaxed. It was a bit more normal for me. I wasn’t too nervous this time, I just tried to do my thing and tried to do the best I could.
“My family was over and a couple of my friends, so I just wanted to put on a show for them too and make them proud.
“I had my mam, my dad, three of my aunties and a cousin, so there was a good crowd there.”
Chelsea progressed to the fifth round thanks to a Pedro Neto hat-trick and an Estevao strike, but it took them 40 minutes to break the deadlock.
“As a defender it’s not nice conceding four goals,” said McCarthy. “It’s hard to look past that, but I tried to get my tackles in and I tried to nullify Estevao over my side and Pedro Neto as much as I could, and I thought I did at times.
“I’d like to hold my head up high and think I did okay, I held my own.”
The teenager paid tribute to experienced Hull and Ireland defender John Egan for his assistance during the Chelsea game.
“John Egan beside me, he’s from Ireland too, so it’s really nice having lads like him who can talk me through the game,” said the young defender.
“It makes it a lot easier for me. They can give me information and help me out.”
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