My Liverpool Story

It has been 23 (somewhat wonderful) years of supporting Liverpool, and with no matches being played in the Premier League at the moment it seems like the perfect time to reflect on my two decades as a supporter.

I was born a day before an FA Cup 3rd round win over Burnley, where John Barnes captained the Reds to victory with a goal from Stan Collymore. Going through the archives to find out what life was like as a Liverpool supporter back then, the Reds drew to Everton TWICE that season – inspiring from the blue half of Merseyside, don’t you think? Manchester City had been relegated in the 1995/96 season and the Reds were still towards the top half of the league table, finishing fourth in ’97.

It wasn’t all plain sailing though, after Rafael Benítez came in and won us the Champions League, Super Cup and FA Cup in his first two seasons, things started going downhill as the Hodgson era commenced. Those were really, really bleak days. However, I feel like we had to suffer a little to truly value the glory days we are in at this moment in time. We couldn’t ask for a better manager to add to our ‘Wall of Champions’ now. Jürgen Klopp truly embodies the ethos of Liverpool Football Club and the community around him and it is incredible to see.

Growing up in a predominantly male household, it was obvious that I would be into some sort of sport, but it was a toss-up between football and cricket in our house. My brother grew up as a Manchester United fan and everyone knows they were our fiercest rivals back then as they were dominating football (again, how times have changed), so of course I was going to go with my dad and support Liverpool. I would copy my brother with everything, but it was football that divided us yet still brought us closer together.

My first real recollection of a proper football experience was the 2003 League Cup final in the Millennium Stadium, Cardiff. It was Liverpool vs Man. Utd, of course. I earned my bragging rights that day, as Steven Gerrard opened the scoring with a deflection off David Beckham. I think that fortified Gerrard’s place in my heart as my favourite player even though at that point I had no idea what was to come from the future Liverpool captain. The guys at The Goal Hanger actually recreated this goal for me, you can check it out here.

Michael Owen scored the second that day, and the Reds had won their seventh League Cup that afternoon in Cardiff.  It’s an incredible thing to have experienced and although I wasn’t lucky enough to get to a lot of games growing up, I felt inspired and watched as many matches I could on TV, as well as playing football, pretty much 24/7.

Growing up wasn’t a walk in the park for me. My parents were going through a divorce and I won’t disclose any personal information, but it wasn’t uncomplicated at all. I didn’t comprehend at the time how much football helped me. I was lucky to have an older brother to look after me through it all as I was still quite young, but he was my rock. He taught me everything I know to do with FIFA, he even took me along to have a kick about with his mates after school and once knocked me out cold on the concrete playground when he was trying to teach me to defend a freekick. I still think he did it because he was bitter about Liverpool winning the Champions League back in 2005!

But football was our mutual interest. Whether it was collecting and trading ‘Goal’ World Cup cards or ‘Match Attax’ cards (I had the largest collection of Goal cards in my school, just saying) or it was FIFA, catching every match on TV or an outing to the park for an evening kickabout after school – football was the sunshine on our cloudy days. Even now, as I’ve said before, football is my distraction from tension, the only thing I have to worry about is the result on the pitch and absolutely nothing else matters for those ninety minutes.

Outside of football, I had made many trips to Liverpool to visit my great auntie who lives in what I can only describe as an incredible city. When we’d visit, my dad and I would always visit Anfield to catch a tour or just have a walk around the outside of the stadium and buy some gifts from the store. Those visits at least once a year made me recognise that Liverpool is where I want to be when I have the chance. I honestly couldn’t tell you a bad thing about that city or the people, it has always been the most hospitable place I have been to and I set my heart on moving there at some point, by hook or by crook.

So, when the chance came when I was doing my GCSEs and had to start deliberating university courses and applications, I just knew I had to have Liverpool at least as an option. I had done my research, pitched the idea to my parents (they still weren’t buying it), booked the open days and pinned all my hopes on getting accepted onto the course I wanted in Liverpool. Typically, the interview invite from Liverpool was the last one of five universities I applied for, and so the offer was also the last I got. I was so nervous, and I still remember getting the offer as I got into bed one night, and I had never sprung out of bed so fast to get my brother to check it was genuine! It was my firm choice, I got in and as they say, the rest is history…

I’m sure everyone knew the actual reason I wanted to move to Liverpool so badly, but I remain adamant that it’s only because the uni course was perfect for me 😉 My fourth day in Liverpool and I was already on the road with the Reds. Derby County away in the League Cup. I remember it so well and if you know me, you’d know how terrible my memory serves me at the best of times.
I’ve lost track of how many games I’ve actually been to since I moved to Liverpool but I have been very fortunate with some great friends I have made through Twitter and then met at the matches, helping me out where possible, allowing me to travel around Europe watching the Reds. It’s an experience that I now take for granted, as many probably subconsciously do, but it’s a real privilege especially watching the squad we now have, dominating club football around the world.

For now, we can all reminisce about our oldest and newest Liverpool memories. We can look back at some of those unbelievable European nights Liverpool have become so renowned for as well as thinking ahead to the great memories we will soon be able to make celebrating Liverpool’s 19th league title. I think it is an understatement to say the night we are crowned champions will be wild. I will be on another planet altogether, celebrating a league title for the first time in my 23 years of existence.

Favourite game of the 2019/20 season: Aston Villa away in the league – what a game. Nothing comes close to that feeling when a stoppage time winner is scored, especially when Sadio Mané heads in at the 94th minute.

94th minute.
Sadio Mane.
Dramatic winner.

🤩 HUGE GOAL 🤩 pic.twitter.com/GzGy3WblBq

— Liverpool FC (at 🏠) (@LFC) November 2, 2019

Favourite goal this season: Fabinho vs Manchester City. Some power on that from the Brazilian!

Fabinho destroyed Manchester City hearts…and also a camera 💥👀pic.twitter.com/JkYbMqI9qu

— Goal (@goal) November 11, 2019

Best player of the season so far: Has to be Sadio. No ifs, no buts, no maybes. He is world class and I’m glad he’s come out of his shell properly this season.

One player I would love to have a pint with: Shaqiri doesn’t seem to get much game time so he may as well get a round in 😂