There was never any danger the thrill of an England call-up would go to teenage forward Noah Carney’s head.
The 17-year-old was taking the news all in his stride when he discovered he’d been named in the England U18 Schoolboys side on Monday evening.
Carney, who came off the bench for manager Andy Hessenthaler’s team in Saturday’s FA Trophy Third Round defeat against Bromley at Crabble, got the fantastic news after he had attended the third and final England trial in Birmingham on Sunday.
More than 240 players from throughout the country had started the trial process before the final 32 attended on Sunday.
Carney admitted his selection had come as a pleasant ‘surprise’.
The Academy starlet said: “To be honest, I didn’t think I had done enough in the final trial to get picked, so It was unbelievable when Mike (Academy manager Mike Sandmann) called me to tell me.
“Don’t get me wrong, I am feeling over the moon and I am really looking forward to wearing an England shirt sometime next year, but my focus is now on playing as much as I can for Dover Athletic and the Academy when I can.
“I’ve just got to keep working hard and take any opportunities that come my way to play for Dover.
“I really also want to thank my family, Mike (Sandmann), and the Gaffer (Andy Hessenthaler) for all the encouragement and support they’ve given me throughout this journey of mine – it has been fantastic.”
While the modest Carney was not about to get carried away by his selection, Mike Sandmann said his young charge fully deserved everything he got.
He said: “All of us at the Dover Athletic Academy and The Abbey School are extremely proud of Noah. To get the opportunity to represent your country at any level is a truly fantastic achievement.
“I am so pleased for him that his hard work and determination to succeed is getting the recognition it deserves.
“His family I know will be extremely proud and they also deserve to enjoy this exciting news for the part they continue to play in Noah’s success.
“I know this experience will be invaluable for Noah’s development and we are all looking forward to seeing how his journey continues to develop.”