Young Gun: Evan Mooney | Interview | News

Our Young Gun series gets to know the academy youngsters kicking off their careers at the Sobha Realty Training Centre.

Evan Mooney spoke to us recently about winning the Scottish League Cup with St. Mirren and what’s he learned in his first few weeks at Arsenal.

I grew up in Erskine, just outside Glasgow, and started playing football when I was about four or five. I was a Rangers fan growing up, but once I joined St. Mirren that loyalty slowly shifted; I felt a real connection to the club.

I was first scouted by St. Mirren when I was 11. I was at a community camp with a friend, just enjoying football and scoring goals, when they spotted me. At the time, I was playing for my local boys’ club, so stepping into an academy environment was a big change.

One of my standout memories at St. Mirren was making my debut at Tynecastle at just 16. I’d been training with the first team since I was 15 and had been in a few matchday squads, so when I finally got on the pitch, it was a moment of real pride.

Scoring my first professional goal was another special moment. It was an equaliser away at St. Johnstone late in the game, and then we scored in the 99th minute to win it. That was a real pinch me night.

But the biggest moment of all was winning the Scottish League Cup, beating Celtic at Hampden earlier this season. That was historic for the club.

We were the underdogs going in, and they had most of the support in the stadium. Before the game, the coaches played a seven-minute video of our families wishing us luck. That really hit home – it reminded us we were for more than ourselves.

On the day, we were brilliant and lifting that trophy with my family watching my there was something I’ll never forget. The celebrations afterwards were amazing. There was a bus parade from a local church in Paisley.

Seeing the supporters’ faces, some of them in tears, was incredibly special. Moments like that stay with you forever. I’m so grateful to all the academy and first-team coaches who trusted me and gave me the belief to express myself.

The move here happened very quickly. I’d heard (Arsenal) were monitoring me, and when a club like Arsenal comes calling it’s an opportunity you can’t turn down. Telling my parents was emotional, they were so proud.

I’ve sacrificed a lot of reach this stage, and moving away from home is a big step, but it was an incredible moment for all of us.

Since joining, I’ve tried to take everything in my stride. It’s a new city, new culture, new club, and that can be overwhelming, but everyone has been brilliant with me.

Having Callan Hamill here has helped as well, he’s a good friend and it’s great to have another Scottish player around.

“When a club like Arsenal comes calling it’s an opportunity you can’t turn down.”

I’ve been involved with the the under-21s and trained with the first team, which has been a real eye-opener. The standard is extremely high, and it shows you exactly where you need to get to.

For the rest of the season, my focus is to express myself, score goals, create chances and help the team. Representing Scotland at under-19s level is already a huge honour, and my dream is to play for the senior national team.

That’s something I’m working towards every single day.