ACADEMY: Experience key as holders eye last eight spot

Feb 13 2008 by Chris Wright, Liverpool Daily Post

USING and gaining experience is what coach Hugh McAuley is hoping for when his Liverpool side take on Sunderland in the FA Youth Cup fifth round at the Stadium Of Light this evening (kick-off 7pm).

Despite having won the prestigious youth tournament for the past two seasons, the Liverpool youngsters are relatively inexperienced with most in their first year at the Kirkby Academy.

But they have already won 5-0 at Wycombe and scored an excellent 1-0 victory against Arsenal in the last round, so they are beginning to grow with progress in the Youth Cup. That is what McAuley hopes they continue to do in the North East this evening when they look to book a quarter-final tie at either Charlton Athletic or Swindon Town, who face each other at the Valley next Tuesday.

The Liverpool coach said: “Going into these games and into these stadiums – the Stadium Of Light – is a great experience. Hopefully the fact that we are in this situation, will give the lads that little bit of an edge to pull out that little bit more, which you need on Youth Cup nights. It is about the night and the team that turns up to play wanting to win a football match. If you are not right you will go out. But given way we played against Arsenal game, we should have the confidence to go to the North East and take on a good Sunderland side.”

McAuley added: “The team generally has improved over the season, individually and collectively. I also think with a Youth Cup campaign it keeps your season going. You are involved in big games on big grounds and that it the kind of experience we need for our youth players. The more experience we can get, the better players they will be. Most of the players are new to it this season and are first-year players – about eight in the Arsenal game – but it is a development process. Some players are more forward than others.

The learning curve is up and down and big games helps the development and experience.”

But McAuley is under no illusions that his side will have to be at their best to progress. Despite beating Sunderland earlier in the season, Liverpool have failed to win all four Academy League matches since they returned after the Christmas break.

The goals, which had been plentiful earlier in the season, have dried up a little bit. But McAuley is hoping Nathan Eccleston, Marvin Pourie and David Amoo, who all reached double figures before the break, can rediscover their touch. McAuley said: “It will be different game to the Arsenal one. When we played Sunderland at Academy level we beat them 3-0. It probably wasn’t a three-goal game. So I am expecting a really good game and we will need to be prepared.”

He added: “The attacking players scored their fair share before Christmas, but although we are creating chances we are not taking them. But that is okay because as long as we are creating them, the goals will come.”

Alex Kacaniklic didn’t feature against Stoke on Saturday due to a slight hamstring strain. He will travel to Sunderland and could play, while Daniel Pachecho also may feature.

LIVERPOOL YOUTH (from): Bouzanis, Irwin, Kelly, Kennedy, O’Connor, Amoo, Highdale, Adjarevic, Mackay-Steven, Pourie, Eccleston, Collins, Pachecho, Hansen, Kacaniklic, Awang, Parsonage, Scott, Oldfield.