MOUNT’S CUP OF CHEER
Blues star has won it at youth level... now he wants to go one better
MASON MOUNT twice tasted FA Youth Cup glory with Chelsea.
And now he is targeting a winner’s medal at the highest level in the famous old competition as he looks to collect his first major honour in the game.
Mount, Callum Hudson-Odoi, Tammy Abraham, Reece James, Fikayo Tomori and Tariq Lamptey all enjoyed Youth Cup success with the Blues.
And there is a firm belief they can transfer that winning mentality to senior level.
Mount said: “The FA Cup is massive. You always want to win silverware and there’s always a big focus on trying to win.
“Obviously, every game you want to try to win, but, yes, I’ve unbelievable memories as a kid coming through youth football and winning the FA Youth Cup was one of the best moments.
“You always want to win big games and, hopefully, we can keep going further.
“We all know how it feels to win Youth Cups and to keep winning – we managed five and I played in two of them. We know how it feels. We want to get that feeling back of winning major trophies.”
Chelsea kick off their bid today at home to Nottingham Forest, a team Mount knows well, having played against them last season in his loan spell with their arch-rivals Derby.
He added: “I’ll probably get a little bit of stick after being at Derby. They will remember that.
“They’ll probably have a similar mentality to the one we had last season when we played Southampton in the FA Cup and Manchester United in the League Cup. The same mentality going into it that they have no real pressure, they are the underdogs, they are coming in playing free.
“Obviously, we need to have that mentality of, ‘We need to kill the game’.
“We’re at home, we just need to go in with that confidence and to play and win the game.
“When I was at Derby, it was a massive rivalry and a massive game if we played against Forest.
“I played the home game against them, but missed the away game. I still look at the Championship and keep an eye on Derby and how they are doing, and I look at the league because I enjoyed it so much when I was playing in it and I learned so much. I know they are a good side and have been doing well.” Mount has certainly been doing well himself since returning to Chelsea last summer, breaking into the first team under Frank Lampard and being capped six times in that period with England.
And now the focus switches to 2020 and the small matter of the
European Championship finals at the end of the season.
He said: “My hopes are to keep going as the season has started, playing minutes, trying to get as much experience as I can and learning.
“That’s the most important thing – you keep going and you keep getting better and better.
“I’m playing in one of the best leagues in the world and loving my football.
“So, hopefully, we can keep getting these performances like the Tottenham and Arsenal games and, hopefully, we can keep winning games.
“That’s the focus at the moment.”