Having scored in West Ham United’s 2023 FA Youth Cup final win over Arsenal, Callum Marshall already had one good reason to remember Emirates Stadium - and now he has a second after making his Premier League debut against the Gunners there on Saturday.
The 20-year-old Northern Ireland forward was introduced by new Head Coach Nuno Espírito Santo with half-an-hour to play and West Ham trailing 1-0.
While Bukayo Saka’s penalty doubled Arsenal’s lead and the Hammers ultimately came away empty-handed, Marshall will still look back fondly on the day a young lad from Glengormley, County Antrim, became a Premier League player.
The livewire forward was his usual energetic self, pressing Arsenal’s back four, relieving pressure on his side and even going close to scoring a consolation goal when his added-time header flew over the crossbar.
“The game’s just done, so it hasn’t really sunk in yet, but coming over from Northern Ireland, this is what I want to do, so I’m happy that the new manager has given me my [Premier League] debut and hopefully there’s more to come,” the former Linfield youngster told West Ham TV.
“It’s been a long time coming, so I’m just happy that I got on the pitch. I’ve been on the bench a few times now. I was on the bench when David Moyes was here and then a couple of times under Graham Potter, but this is obviously the first time I’ve got on, so I’m just thankful to the gaffer.
“Obviously, he hasn’t seen much of me yet, but hopefully in the weeks to come when I get back from Northern Ireland duty, then hopefully he’ll get to see more of me and I can show him that I can affect games and bring a bit of energy, which I tried to do today, but it was a hard game to affect in the way the game was going.
“[With my late headed chance] I should have scored, but it is what it is. Hopefully, if I get on again, I’ll put the ball in the back of the net and finally become a Premier League goalscorer.”
For Marshall, while he has had to be patient for his Premier League chance, senior football is nothing new, as he won the Player of the Year award while on loan at Huddersfield Town in EFL League One last season and has already been capped 12 times by Northern Ireland at senior level.
“It’s obviously hard, it’s a different level, just the speed of the game, so trying to get pressure on the ball is hard, especially because we were already losing,” he explained. “We were in between a rock and hard place whether to press them or to sit in, so it was hard to get any pressure on them.
“I tried my best, and when the ball came up to me, I was just trying to win throw-ins and stuff. That’s all you can do in the situation. It was a great experience.”
Two-and-a-half years on from scoring in the 2023 FA Youth Cup final, which the young Hammers won 5-1 against an Arsenal team that included Ethan Nwaneri and Myles Lewis-Skelly - who both played on Saturday - Marshall is eager to create more positive memories as a senior player, starting with two important FIFA World Cup qualifiers with his country against Slovakia and Germany.
“It was great to play, and I have good memories at the stadium as well, so it was good,” the No50 confirmed.
“I’ve just got to wait for my chance at Northern Ireland. I know that there’s a few different positions that I’m playing there when I’m coming on so I’ve just got to affect the game wherever he (manager Michael O’Neill) brings me on.
“We’ve got Germany and Slovakia, massive games. The first one, Slovakia, it’s a massive game because they beat Germany last camp so this will be big, especially because we’re at home, so hopefully we can stick the pressure on them and they crumble.
“Then we come back and play at home to Brentford and of course I’d love to play, who wouldn’t? It’d be even better if I get a goal and get to celebrate in front of the home fans. That’d be lovely.”
