Carrigaline's Mark O’Mahony scores first goal for Brighton & Hove Albion

Mark O’Mahony got his first senior goal for Brighton & Hove Albion during their 4-0 victory over Crawley Town in the EFL Cup at the Amex.

The 19-year-old striker was brought on as a substitute in the ninth minute he helped give his side a comprehensive victory in the first Sussex derby between the two teams since 1992.

Simon Adingra opened the scoring for Brighton in the 31st minute and Jeremy Sarmiento doubled their lead at the start of the second half. Adam Webster made it 3-0 and O’Mahony got the fourth by pressing high, winning the ball back, and hitting it towards the near post with 86 minutes on the clock.

It was a simple move that gave Brighton their third win of the season, following Premier League victories over Everton and Manchester United. The Seagulls are now into the third round, and dreaming of a cup run under new manager Fabian Hürzeler.

The German took over this summer from Roberto De Zerbi, the coach who promoted O’Mahony from the Brighton academy.

The rising star started out with Carrigaline United in the Cork Schoolboys League, and his goal-scoring performances led to a move to Cork City. One of the forward’s best seasons in the yellow and blue jersey was in 2018 as he won a Golden Boot after scoring 38 goals for the club.

O’Mahony played for Cork City in the Underage National Leagues and that earned him a place in various Republic of Ireland underage squads.

2022 was a breakthrough year for the teenager as he scored six goals in 10 appearances for the U17s while training with the Cork City first team under Colin Healy. His reward came in the form of a League of Ireland First Division winners medal and being named Republic of Ireland U17 Player of the Year.

O’Mahony moved to Brighton in January 2023 and he played for their reserves side before making his Premier League debut during a 1-1 draw with Burnley at Turf Moor in April 2024.

That followed the striker signing a contract at the Amex that will keep him in a blue and white jersey until 2027.

O’Mahony has enjoyed a rapid ascent in Brighton, with the club’s technical director, David Weir, praising his abilities after the deal was signed.

"Mark has done really well since joining us in January last year and we’re very happy with his progress. We’re pleased to see him commit his future here,” he said.

The immediate future is now uncertain for O’Mahony as there is speculation about a loan move that would guarantee him senior first-team football as opposed to intermittent appearances with Brighton in the Premier League and EFL Cup.