HEIGHWAY PLEASED WITH YOUNGSTERS

By Steve Hunter 07 December 2006

Liverpool Academy Director Steve Heighway praised the spirit and effort of his young players as the Reds progressed to the fourth round of the FA Youth Cup after a deserved 2-1 extra-time victory at West Bromwich Albion.
Ray Putterill was the match winner for Liverpool as the holders held their nerve to claim a place in the fourth round of the competition they won last season.

"It was a deserved victory and there was enough decent performances from the boys to see us through," Heighway told Liverpoolfc.tv. "We had a spell in the first half when we didn't play well at all but we dominated the game in the second half and in extra-time.

"We didn't give West Brom too many opportunities and Robbie Threlfall and Stephen Darby were excellent for us at the back. Stephen only just arrived back from Istanbul on Wednesday afternoon after being with the first team and it's tremendous to come back from a 3,000 mile trip to play for us in the Youth Cup. Stephen has got such an amazing character.

"I was pleased for Ray to get his goal and he kept going all night. He plays at 100 mile an hour all of the time and he still has a lot to learn but he has got something about him. "Jay Spearing was fantastic for us and I thought Charlie Barnett did very well when he came on in the second half.

"From last season's team we don't have natural wingers because Paul Anderson and Adam Hammill are now ineligible for this competition so we tried a different formation but we got through which was the main thing."