Fleetwood Town boss Matt Lawlor stunned after Arsenal shootout victory

Fleetwood Town manager Matt Lawlor admitted he had forgotten his side would face a penalty shootout against Arsenal after their League Cup tie finished 1-1.

The fourth-tier club defeated Arsenal on penalties, securing one of the biggest results of Lawlor’s early managerial career.

Speaking to Sky after the match, the 38-year-old said he had been preparing for extra time before being reminded that the competition rules went straight to a shootout.

“Honestly, I forgot we were going to have penalties,” Lawlor said. “I was preparing for extra time before the end of the game, then someone told me we would go straight to penalties. I thank God for that.”

Lawlor also revealed how difficult it was to contain his emotions after Fleetwood Town’s victory, with members of his family and people from his local community in attendance.

“I was trying not to cry and I managed to hold it together,” he said. “My family and my young son were here. We are all from the area. I know these people, I grew up with them and went to school with them, or I have some connection with them, as well as the people who came on to the pitch.”

The Fleetwood Town manager described the occasion as an exceptionally emotional moment for both himself and his players.

“It is an extraordinary and deeply moving thing,” he added. “To achieve something so important at such an early stage of my managerial career made it a night full of emotion.

“It really was an emotional night, both for the players and for me.”

Lawlor took charge of Fleetwood Town in March and is experiencing his first role as a manager.