Cardiff City shot-stopper belives togetherness will help Wales bounce back
BUDAPEST, HUNGARY - 15 MAY 2023: Wales' Luke Armstrong during a training session at Banka Kristof Sportkozpont prior to the 2023 UEFA European Under-17 Championship Group A fixture between Hungary & Cymru at the Hidegkuti Nandor Stadium, Budapest, Hungry. (Pic by John Smith/FAW)
Luke Armstrong believes that Wales’ togetherness will carry them through as they look to earn their first U17 European Championship win against the Republic of Ireland on Saturday.
Wales qualified for the tournament without suffering defeat but were beaten 3-0 by Hungary, in front of a rowdy Hidegkuti Nándor Stadium crowd, on Wednesday night.
Despite navigating the qualification campaign with an unbeaten record, Craig Knight’s side faced plenty of adversity en route to Wales’ first youth international tournament since 1981.
Cymru had to fight back from 3-1 down to draw 3-3 with Sweden, courtesy of a delightful Luey Giles free-kick in the 99th minute.
They also had to battle back from another two-goal deficit, on home soil, in their final Elite Round game against Montenegro in March.
“We have been in these situations plenty of times. When we played against Albania, we had to hold on for a draw and our togetherness got us through that game,” Armstrong said.
“The togetherness in this team is unbelievable, that is what got us to this tournament.
“It’s like one big family to be honest, everyone gets on with everyone. Just being around each other sparks something. There’s always laughter. Everyone is enjoying it.”
Wales second fixture comes only 66 hours after they finished their opening game against the tournament hosts Hungary.
With three games in just six days Cymru boss Knight is likely to utilise the squad depth that he has at his disposal during the hectic tournament schedule.
Armstrong is one of those players that missed out on a starting spot on Wednesday night and he’s hoping to catch the eye of his coach in training and earn the number one spot.
“Even if you’re not in the starting 11 you still play a huge role in this team,” the Cardiff youth team goalkeeper added.
“I think all the players in the squad know that. Every player has a certain aspect that they can bring to the team, and they are all trying to show Knighty what they can bring in training.”
Even if he doesn’t start against Ireland, Armstrong is confident that he will be prepared to fill in for Kit Margetson if he is required to do so at any point during the game.
“It is hard to come in midway through a game, but I’ve had to do it in the past with the last camp, so I think I’ve adapted to it quite well. You’ve got to prepare like you’re starting.
“In tournament football, you don’t know what can happen, a player could get injured at any point.
“When we played against Scotland Kit went down quite early on, so I had to be prepared. Luckily for Kit, he was able to see out the rest of the game, but I know that I was ready to come on at that moment.”
