With it being 15 years since he made his Liverpool debut, Steven Gerrard sat down with the Echo's James Pearce to reflect on that day -
“I was itching to get on. All my family were there. I had about 25 tickets because before the game I thought there was a slim chance of me running on for Liverpool for the first time.
“But when the clock was running down I thought I’d have to wait and be a bit more patient.
“I was warming up down towards the Kop when Phil Thompson shouted to me. That moment was one of the best feelings I’ve ever had as a football player.
“It was a mixture of the best feeling in the world but also the most scared feeling as well. You know when you’re nervous and feel like you really need to go to the toilet..... it was that kind of feeling.
“It was so mixed because I was on top of the world as well. It was a surreal moment I’ll never, ever forget.”
Gerrard added -
“I got the last couple of minutes of normal time and then injury time. I got five or six touches – one was a throw-in and I over-hit a couple of crosses.
“I didn’t want the final whistle to go. When I sat down in the dressing room afterwards my dream had come true.
“I had managed to get exactly to where I’d worked so hard to get to from the age of eight.
“No-one could take that away from me – being able to say I had played for my boyhood club.
“Growing up playing for my school and my amateur teams and supporting Liverpool if someone had said ‘look, you are only going to play for Liverpool once, it’s only going to be for four minutes and you’re going to over-hit a few crosses, do you want it?’ I would have bitten their hand off for it.”
Gerrard on feeling no pressure -
“When I came on for my debut I think Ian St John said on the radio ‘who is this bag of bones?’
“You only have to look at the pictures from that day to see that I wasn’t ready physically for football at this level. I still had a lot of developing to do.
“No-one was really aware of me. I’d had a few knocks and injuries coming through, and 99% of people’s eyes were on Michael Owen who was establishing himself in the first team. Because he was so young and doing so well I don’t think people were really interested in what else was coming through.
“That helped me in a way because there was no pressure on me. I could just come up the inside lane, progress and keep learning.
“You compare that to the likes of Raheem Sterling and Jordon Ibe – everyone is expecting wonders from them. They are still very young – a similar age to when I first ran on.
“The first-team staff and the players at Melwood were aware of me but as far as the supporters and the media concerned, no-one knew much about me.
“But within a couple of games people were starting to take note and that gave me the confidence to progress from there.”
It all changed for Gerrard when he was called up to train at Melwood -
“When I got the nod along with Stephen Wright to come from the Academy to train at Melwood that was the start for me.
“That was when I knew it was time to forget all the laughing and joking, and the guys that were around me.
“I was on my own then. This was my chance and I thought it might not ever come along again so I better take it.
“Every single day I used to come into training like it was a game situation. I didn’t really care who was in my way, who I was training with or what the session was.
“I wanted to get in my car after training every day happy in the knowledge I’d just done everything I possibly could to get that chance with the first team.”
Despite his success, Gerrard is still just a fan at heart -
“I see my relationship with the fans as being very important. I have done since I played my first game. Now I’m coming up to 650 games that hasn’t changed and it won’t change.
“Even though I play, I’m still a big Liverpool fan. If I hadn’t achieved what I’ve achieved I would be with the fans following the team each week.”
Gerrard on his future -
“I wouldn’t change the last 15 years for anything in the world. They have been the best years of my life.
“I always take it season by season. I have another year on my contract after this season and I am very focused on what’s going on this season.
“We’ve got ourselves into a good position and the challenges we set at the start of the season are still in sight.
“I realise I’m coming into the final chapters of my Liverpool career but I don’t think my relationship with the club is coming to an end – that will carry on for a long, long time.
“I want to make the most of these last couple of years on the pitch.
“The last 15 years have flown by. It makes you appreciate how quickly times goes.
“The seasons fly by so I want to achieve as much as I can before I finish. I realise time isn’t on my side but I hope there are a few more chapters to be written.
“We are in a very healthy position at the moment in the league and the FA Cup hasn’t started yet.
“We have got two great opportunities to finish the season on a high. They are the kind of chapters I want to add to what I’ve already done.
“If I finish this season having had a really successful run in the FA Cup and in the top four in the Premier League I’ll be very proud.”