The FA
Nico O'Reilly is hoping to make it a Wembley double this season
Manchester native Nico O'Reilly has enjoyed a breakthrough season with his boyhood club, cementing his place in both the Manchester City and England setup.
His brace helped City win the League Cup at Wembley in February, and he is now looking to double his cup haul for the season when Pep Guardiola's team face Chelsea at the national stadium.
Nico, what a season it’s been for you personally. How do you reflect on it?
Yeah, it’s been positive. I’ve really enjoyed it. I’ve played quite a lot of minutes this season, played in big games, and I’ve really loved the opportunities I’ve had. There have been a few really good moments, scoring important goals and winning big games.
And obviously now there’s potential for another trophy. You were crucial in the League Cup final win, what would it mean to you to win the FA Cup as well?
Yeah, it would mean a lot. The FA Cup is a huge competition in English football. It’s such a big game and we know Chelsea will be tough opposition. But we were here in this position last year and couldn’t quite get the win, so we know how it feels to lose here. It’s a bad feeling, and it hurts, so we’ll try and get the job done this time.
Has there been any talk within the dressing room about potentially winning a cup double as you’ve progressed through the rounds? City seem to have gone very much under the radar in that respect this season…
We’ve just been trying to stay focused. You just try to stay on track at this stage because it can be tough in these last few weeks with so many games. All we can really do and control is focus on each game, try and bring our A-game each time, and then see what happens.
You scored your first senior goal in the FA Cup last season, against Salford City. What are your memories of that game? The FA Cup has been a good competition for you…
Yeah, I just remember getting myself in a good position and then receiving the ball in a dangerous area. I’ve picked my spot and put it in and then gone off to celebrate. To do it at the Etihad was amazing. I always felt the FA Cup was a competition where there would be chances given to youth players, particularly in the third and fourth rounds. So I always knew it might be a chance for me to play for the first team and make my debut in this competition.
You’ve played every round in the FA Cup this year. Do FA Cup matches feel differently to you?
No, I think we treat them the same. Each match in this competition is difficult whoever it’s against. We know that Chelsea are a huge opposition and a big club with good players and a strong history in the FA Cup. We’ll just try and get the ball down and play our game.
Take us back to the Southampton game in the semi-finals. How did you feel when you went one behind late on?
We always believe in ourselves. We knew that if we got a goal back there’d be a good chance we’d go on to win the match, and when Nico scored everything changed. We managed to get the winner in the last minute and thankfully we’re here now in the Final.
You won the FA Youth Cup in 2023. Could you imagine being in the men’s Final twice in the next couple of years?
I’ve always believed and I’m just so happy that when the opportunities came that I was able to take my chance. I’ve been at City all my life and it’s always been my dream to play for the club in these moments, so to win trophies for City is special.
You can read the full interview with Nico in the official Emirates FA Cup Final match programme.