Masterson: Being on the bench was a dream come true
Conor Masterson has described the ‘surreal’ moment when he found out he would be in Liverpool’s matchday squad for Friday night's FA Cup third round tie away to Exeter City.
The centre-back, who only turned 17 in September, appeared on Jürgen Klopp’s bench for the first time in the 2-2 draw against the League Two outfit.
The Dublin born youngster was an unused substitute on the night, but insists the experience was an unforgettable one.
“It's a bit of a dream come true if I'm honest,” he admitted to Liverpoolfc.com. “It was surreal. I got told Thursday that I was going to go up and train at Melwood and then on Friday I travelled with the team.
“We had the team talk and I got told I was on the bench. I just couldn't believe it. It was an unbelievable feeling. I was taken aback to be honest.
“Jürgen just said to me 'if you get a chance to go on, then go out and enjoy yourself. There's no pressure on you. Just go and do your best.'”
It was a hectic few days for Masterson as he then started for the U18s on Saturday morning in their 3-0 win over Manchester United at the Academy, having returned from Devon the night before.
He added: “I tried to get to bed as quick as I could and get ready for this game because I wanted to play.
“Critch [U18s manager Neil Critchley] said to me 'you don't have to play because they might want you for Sunday' but I wanted to play.
“It is always good to beat them. The way we did beat them was comfortable and really good.
“We weren't really worked at all to be honest. We just focused on what we had to do and we did that.”