Academy glory for young Reds
It was a dramatic Liverpool victory that sparked ecstatic celebrations at the Academy.
This young side may not have bragged the likes of Raheem Sterling and Conor Coady but the quality and spirit they showed in pulling off a late comeback against a dominant Manchester City was a credit to every boy in red.
The 3-2 win for a Liverpool team made up of under-16s from Stockbridge Village, put them top of the regional group of the annual Kickz Cup and forward to the national finals.
An under-14s side also represented Liverpool in Sunday's tournament, but despite a strong start, they finished third behind Everton and Manchester City.
The Kickz for Kids scheme, which began in 2006, involves Premier League clubs taking teenagers from disadvantaged areas, giving them free coaching and organising them into teams of different age groups who then compete for a national cup.
On Sunday the Academy hosted the North West qualifiers, with teams from both Merseyside and Manchester clubs joined by Bolton, Blackburn and Wigan.
Liverpool under-16s' table-topping effort was no mean feat as they triumphed over a City side which made a rampant start, scoring 16 and conceding just twice in their opening four fixtures, thrashing rivals Man United 6-0 in the process.
But the gutsy Liverpool boys twice stopped them in their tracks, beating them 4-3, then 3-2 in that dramatic final game. Prior to that Liverpool lost to Wigan and drew with Everton which meant that they had to beat City to top the group.
The Reds took an early lead as Josh Cotton flicked into the path of Robbie McClintock who slotted calmly for 1-0. City twice hit back to turn the game on its head but late drama ensued as substitute Kyle Bretherton fired Liverpool level before Cotton connected with an Aaron Fitzsimmons cross to make it 3-2.
Meanwhile, Liverpool's under-14's made a flying start, notching up three victories over Bolton, Wigan and Man United before coming from a goal behind to win 2-1 against a strong Everton side.
However, the team every under-14s side had to beat was Manchester City, who hammered Everton 4-0 before beating Liverpool 2-1. The Eastlands outfit were superb all day, winning ten and drawing two, to take the group with ease.
Liverpool's junior side played some decent possession football and passed the ball neatly and incisively. Lewis Riley sprayed passes about the pitch; Jesse Dowling was lethal in front of goal and Georgie Roberts, their diminutive playmaker, pulled defences apart with his slaloming forward runs. But it was all to no avail as the under-14s finished third in the group, 12 points behind City.
Forbes Duff, Liverpool FC's Kickz co-ordinator, is hugely impressed with the national scheme: "It's a fabulous opportunity for the boys to come and play at the Academy, where so many great players have played and use the venue and the facilities," he said after Sunday's tournament.
"Kickz is all about giving the kind of kids who are here today special opportunities like this. I know from personal experience how much they look forward to and enjoy it."
Eddie Sullivan, manager of the under-14s side, who has been working with LFC In The Community for 11 years and as a Kickz coach for three, told Liverpoolfc.tv why the charity is so important.
"As a scheme it's absolutely brilliant in what it offers the kids. It works because it keeps them occupied and active, in a positive way, rather than having them hanging around the streets.
"You can see how successful the scheme is purely by the amount of clubs around the country who have become involved.
"Also it's great to see our two local clubs, Liverpool and Everton, working together along with the government and Merseyside Police, to give something back to the community."
Perhaps, most importantly, the boys themselves spoke of the positive effect it had on their lives.
Kyle Bretherton, midfield lynchpin for the victorious under-16s, summed the general feeling up perfectly: "Kickz is fantastic because it gets you off the streets and keeps you out of trouble. The coaches are the best part of it because they treat you like adults and as friends, not like children."
And as the ecstatic scenes on the Academy touchline following that stunning victory over Manchester City showed, the bond between players and coaches is indeed something special to behold.
Photographs by Alan Ryder