Adam Phillips is set to fulfil his childhood dream and play in front of a packed Anfield for the first time, as his Barnsley side face Liverpool in the FA Cup on Monday
Barnsley midfielder Adam Phillips has admitted it will be a “very special moment” as he prepares to go up against boyhood club Liverpool in the FA Cup third round on Monday night.
Phillips, 27, spent eight years in the academy at Liverpool before leaving at the end of his contract in 2017. During his time with the Reds, the Garstang-born ace progressed through the age groups and into the Under 21s but never made a single first-team appearance.
Now, almost nine years later, Phillips is set to fulfil his childhood dream and finally play at a packed Anfield for the first time. After spending time at the likes of Norwich, Morecambe and Burnley, Phillips joined Barnsley in 2022 and the Tykes now face Liverpool in the world's oldest cup competition.
“I think it'll be massive for me,” Phillips told The Mirror. “I have never actually played at Anfield in front of a full crowd. I played there a couple of times with the Under 21s and stuff like that.
“So, yeah, an amazing occasion. Just walking out at the start of the game, listening to ‘You'll Never Walk Alone'. It'll be iconic. And it'll be sort of a bit of a pinch-myself moment. But one I'm really looking forward to with my family and friends. I just can't wait for it and to hopefully nick a goal or something like that would be nice.”
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“It's a very special moment,” Phillips, who has scored 36 goals and added 25 assists in 157 matches since his move to Barnsley, added. “I think I've got like 25 to 30 tickets, so quite a lot. Everyone wanted to be there and watch.
“It'll be a special occasion, and like I say, at the start of the game when the anthem's on and hopefully throughout the game, it's a great atmosphere. It’s just one I can't wait for and I'm really looking forward to.”
57 places separate Barnsley and Liverpool in the English football pyramid with the Tykes 17th in League One and Arne Slot's Reds fourth in the Premier League.
Despite that gap, Phillips doesn't see why the third-tier side can't cause a shock and give Liverpool a real run for their money. “Obviously, they're going to be massive favourites,” he continued.
“But yeah, just to go there and give it a good shot, put a performance on and hopefully, like you say, it'd be nice to nick a goal and maybe go in front and give us something to hang on to.
“We're confident that we can go there and put a show on, put a performance on and give it our best and we're not just going to go there and expect to get beat. We're going to, like you say, we're going to give it the right go and hopefully the magic of the FA Cup will be there on Monday night.”
Barnsley last met Liverpool in an FA Cup fourth round tie in February 2008 – a game that the Tykes ended up winning 2-1 with Brian Howard scoring a 90th minute winner for the then-Championship outfit.
When asked if the current Barnsley side, now managed by ex-Aston Villa and Derby midfielder Conor Hourihane, can replicate that result, Phillips said: “I think it obviously shows that it can be done and it's possible to go there and get a result. I think I've seen a few clips of the goal when it was scored.
“Like you say, it was quite a long time ago. But, it gives you that hope and that belief that there's something there and we can try and replicate that.”
Barnsley go into the trip to Liverpool without a win in four matches, with their most recent outing coming in a 1-1 draw with Wigan on New Year's Day. Although the Tykes sit just two points and four places above the League One relegation zone, Phillips isn't concerned and believes they can even still push for the play-offs instead.
Reflecting on what has been a mixed season for the Yorkshire side, Phillips said: “Yeah, I think it's been a bit up and down. A few results going our way, good results and then a few bad results.
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“But I think there's a lot of potential in the squad and in the team and we believe that we can still have a right good go this year and be up in the top half of the league and pushing for promotion, play-offs and whatever.
“It's a really tight league this year, so we just need to get a bit of consistency and I think we'll be alright.”
Barnsley are 10 points adrift of sixth-place Stockport, who occupy the final play-off place, with 25 matches to go. They do, however, have three games in hand on the Hatters.