Haughey became the youngest player in Glentoran history when he made his debut as a 15-year-old against Lisburn Distillery in September 2022 before moving to Fleetwood in the summer of 2023.
A Northern Ireland Under-21 international, the centre-back volunteered to hit a spot kick in the shootout after Viktor Gyokeres had cancelled out Aaron Loupalo-Bi opener to send the game straight to penalties.
On a night in which NI senior boss Michael O’Neill was in the stands to watch promising forward Ceadach O’Neill mark his first Arsenal start with an assist, it was his former JD Academy room-mate Haughey who instead grabbed all the headlines.
He was selected as the fifth taker and, after Fleetwood goalkeeper Jay Lynch saved a tame effort from Bruno Guimaraes, stepped up to confidently dispatch his penalty and seal the famous win before running over to greet friends and family who had come over from Belfast for the game and joined in the mass pitch invasion.
“We had the first four [takers] and they [the coaches] were like ‘anyone else?’ and I said ‘yeah’,” he explained.
“I trust myself to hit one and luckily I went fifth. Lynchy took all the pressure off me with the save. I was a bit nervous when they [Arsenal] were hitting knowing I was going fifth.
“I put the ball down, knew where I was going and stuck it there and ran over to all my mates in the corner and went mad. They were the first people on the pitch. I knew when I put the ball down and hit it I’d run straight over to them.”
Fleetwood sit 84 places below the Gunners in the football pyramid and speaking not even 24 hours after the biggest evening of his fledgling career, Haughey said the magnitude of the victory has not fully sunk in.
“It’s not really hit me yet. I’m here playing Fifa and some of the Arsenal players are in my team. It’s just mad. I’m sitting as if nothing has happened, as if it’s a normal rest day,” he added.
“It’s history for the fans and it’s just as big a thing for us, beating the [Premier League] champions. They probably have the same buzz I had putting the ball in the back of the net. It was a great feeling.”
Haughey says he will be a “bit giddy” when the quarter-final draw is made following Chelsea’s game against Liverpool on Wednesday night.
The 19-year-old was quick to answer who he would like to face next at Highbury Stadium as the club look to continue their stunning cup run.
“Man City. Simple as that.”
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