‘Oh my God we’re actually 2-0 up here, this is actually happening, we’re going to do it.’
David Meyler has recalled playing for Hull City in the 2014 FA Cup final against Arsenal.
The Tigers went 2-0 up after eight minutes at Wembley, but ended up losing the final 3-2 after extra time.
Eight years after reaching the showpiece game, Meyler reflected on the loss and his experience of playing against The Gunners. The 32-year-old said that the defeat is still ‘heartbreaking.’
David Meyler reflects on the 2014 FA Cup final.
The Corkman recalled standing in the tunnel before the game where he saw Arsenal players line up alongside his team. Meyler felt that the Arsenal players weren’t ready for the occasion.
“It’s eight years today, and it’s heartbreak still, obviously to be 2-0 up,” Meyler told SportsJOE at the Spar FAI Primary School 5s National Finals.
“We were so close, I believe if we had gotten to half time being 2-0 up, we would have seen it through. It was one of those where nobody gave you any hope or chance of winning it.
“I remember standing in the tunnel before the game, all of us with our boots tied, socks up, tape on. Arsenal came out into the tunnel, a lot of lads didn’t have their laces tied, shirts weren’t on, or whatever. We were prepared for the game, we were ready.
“This was, for the majority of us, one of the biggest days of our career. We were gunning for the game, obviously you can see with the start we had but eventually, their quality came through and they were able to beat us.”
Meyler claims he still thinks about the FA Cup final.
The 32-year-old still thinks about the game, and how his team lost their 2-0 lead to a talented Arsenal team, who eventually showed their quality.
“I think when Curtis (Davies) scored, it was kind of like ‘Oh my God we’re actually 2-0 up here, this is actually happening, we’re going to do it.’ But then, you run off and celebrate. Then they go to tip-off and it’s ‘Oh, we’re actually still playing against Arsenal here’,” Meyler added.
“They played the long game, they were able to pick us apart, and eventually they got the job done. As you can tell eight years on I still think about it.”
Hull lost the game 3-2 after extra time, with Aaron Ramsey scoring the winner, which resulted in heartbreak for Steve Bruce’s side.
The SPAR FAI Primary School 5s National Finals took place in AVIVA Stadium on Tuesday, May 17, where former Republic of Ireland International David Meyler and current Republic of Ireland women’s footballer, Louise Quinn were in attendance supporting as girls and boys from 28 schools took to the field in a day that they will never forget. The 2022 SPAR FAI Primary School 5s Programme returned in physical form this year and saw an incredible 56,212 students involved from 1,081 schools
