Stewart: We need to be ready for any opportunity
Kevin Stewart insists the experience of the first encounter with Exeter City helped him and his young teammates guide Liverpool into the fourth round of the FA Cup.
The midfielder made his first Anfield bow in the 3-0 win over the League Two side, following his debut appearance in the 2-2 draw that forced the replay earlier this month.
Jürgen Klopp once again fielded a team filled with Academy graduates and a wonderful strike by Sheyi Ojo, along with goals from Joe Allen and Joao Carlos Teixeira, saw the Reds set up a home clash with West Ham United in the next round.
Stewart played the entirety of both games, having been recalled from a season-long loan at Swindon Town, and reveals the team were more confident ahead of kick-off the second time around.
He told Liverpoolfc.com: “We felt less pressure because we got the debut out of the way, so we felt a bit more calmer. We played against roughly the same team, so we knew what to expect. I think that benefited us hugely.
“Our main challenge was to go through and show a bit more of what we can do. The first round was a lot harder circumstances with a bad pitch and a lot of debuts. This one was to kind of show what we can do on a better pitch, show them we can play football and win the game comfortably.
“It's just amazing. If you think back to a couple of weeks ago, you'd never have imagined that we'd be playing at Anfield in the FA Cup.
“I think it just shows how quickly football can change and you just have to be ready for any opportunity that comes because it could literally just be round the corner.”
Now back at the club, the 22-year-old admits it’s a great chance to get even more game time after catching the manager’s eye, with a busy period for the first team looming.
He added: “I think [we need to] just train as hard as you can and stay ready because you never know what's going to happen. Someone who was playing today could go into the squad for a Premier League game or anything, so you just need to be ready for whatever happens.
“I know [the manager] has a lot of confidence in the young lads. Hopefully this has given him even more confidence and belief in us that we can hold our own in first-team matches in front of a big crowd.
“[We] just [have to] be hopeful that we can play in the next games, Europa League, the next FA Cup round or any game.”