'Critically harsh': West Ham prospect reveals one regret from his performance against Leeds

Finlay Herrick made his West Ham debut in their FA Cup quarter-final loss against Leeds on Sunday evening.

Herrick replaced Alphonse Areola during the second half of extra time after the French goalkeeper could not continue.

The youngster did not have to make any saves until the penalty shootout, where he made a memory that will last a lifetime.

Herrick has received plenty of praise for his confident performance, but he has one regret from the game.

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Finlay Herrick during West Ham's FA Cup quarter-final against Leeds.

Photo by Vince Mignott/MB Media/Getty Images

Finlay Herrick reflects on West Ham debut vs Leeds

Herrick had waited a long time to make his senior debut, having joined West Ham’s pre-academy at six years old.

He was understandably delighted to have the opportunity to impress, which came in Mads Hermansen’s absence.

However, Herrick was also disappointed not to help the team advance to the semi-final with a penalty shootout victory.

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“Mixed emotions overall. I made my debut, I’m buzzing,” he reflected on his unlikely debut to whufc.com.

“I’ve been at the club for years, but I wish I could have helped out a little bit more for the team because the semi-final at Wembley would have been a dream for a lot of players here.”

Herrick’s penalty save against Joel Piroe will go down as one of West Ham’s most memorable moments of the season.

Finlay Herrick during West Ham United v Leeds United - Emirates FA Cup Quarter Final

Photo by Mike Hewitt/Getty Images

Unfortunately, the 20-year-old was unable to deny any of Leeds’ other three penalties, much to his frustration.

“I’ll be critically harsh on myself and say that maybe one of them I should have done slightly better with,” he explained.

“But saving the first one, it was euphoric. It was unbelievable.”

Every West Ham fan would urge Herrick to focus on his ‘euphoric’ penalty save rather than his regret of not stopping another.

There was absolutely no pressure on him to deliver, and he exceeded expectations with his eye-catching confidence.

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