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‘He might not have got into the first team by staying’ – Returning Youth Cup winner reminisces over City success
Barnsley's Cameron McGeehan, here scoring his first goal for the Tykes, cannot wait for the chance to take on his former club Norwich City at Carrow Road on Saturday. Picture: PA - Credit: EMPICS Sport
The Norwich City reunion is on – and Cameron McGeehan cannot wait.
A handful of Norwich City Under-18s celebrate their 2013 FA Youth Cup succes - from left: Cameron McGeehan, Jacob Murphy, Harry Toffolo, Carlton Morris and Kyle McFadden; with then manager Neil Adams and Academy boss Ricky Martin. Picture: Denise Bradley - Credit: Archant 2013
The Norwich City reunion is on – and Cameron McGeehan cannot wait.
The captain who led the Canaries’ Under-18s to FA Youth Cup glory five seasons ago is all ready to face his former club at Carrow Road this weekend, as the Championship resumes with Barnsley’s visit.
The 22-year-old midfielder, who left for Luton at the start of 2015 without a senior City appearance, has battled back from a broken leg to feature for Paul Heckingbottom’s Tykes – and is set for a comeback from a rolled ankle in victory at Burton at the end of October.
“Obviously if selected, I can’t wait for it,” said McGeehan. “It was one of the fixtures I looked for when I first signed, to see when I could be playing at Carrow Road.
Cameron McGeehan is selt to the floor while on Norwich City development squad duty against Manchester United at Carrow Road. Picture: Matthew Usher. - Credit: Matthew Usher
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“I’ve got a lot of memories at Norwich and while I never played for the first team, I always wanted to – it was my goal when I was there.
“My mates are still there too. Josh (Murphy) and even now Gunny, so it will be an interesting game.”
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City’s stirring success in 2013 is still remembered fondly – be it by almost 22,000 fans who took in the final’s first leg at Carrow Road, the 3,000 that travelled to Stamford Bridge or the City staff that did the business; McGeehan included.
“It was amazing,” he said. “I’m still very close to the players, we chat about it all the time and what an achievement. Every year, Chelsea keep winning it – and we managed to stop them. We’re the only ones to have stopped them in the last six years.
“It was a great time for all of us. That was maybe Norwich’s own golden generation, and I thought they could’ve capitalised a bit more on it. But it will always live long in all our memories.”
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On Saturday, McGeehan will actually come up against one man who missed out on playing his part in City’s FA Youth Cup success – Angus Gunn.
“I don’t think anyone could blame him for going where he did at the time,” added McGeehan. “Manchester City was a great place to go and develop. He might be the third or fourth-choice goalkeeper at one of the best clubs in the world, so you can understand it.
“It’s funny how things go that he’s now back at Norwich, doing really well. He’s a great keeper and he could’ve been a part of it, but you’re not going to say no to Manchester City at a time when they are offering that sort of development path.
“He might not have got into Norwich’s first team by staying there! But the fact he’s gone out to a bigger club and perhaps learned more, that was a different path to get into the first team. So it’s interesting. Everyone’s journey is different.”
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