We catch up with Liverpool’s 2006 FA Youth Cup winners.
In 2006, Liverpool’s under-18s defeated Manchester City 3-2 on aggregate to claim the FA Youth Cup trophy.
11 years later, let’s catch up with some of those former Liverpool youngsters:
Four members of this side now ply their trade in English football’s third tier. Midfielder Ryan Flynn is part of a relegation scrap with Oldham Athletic. The 28-year-old, who previously had spells with Falkirk and Sheffield United, has made 35 appearances for the Latics this season.
Jimmy Ryan has missed most of Fleetwood Town’s promotion pushing campaign after suffering a foot injury. The midfielder previously had stints with Chesterfield, Scunthorpe United, Accrington Stanley and Shrewsbury Town.
Paul Anderson is part of Justin Edinburgh’s Northampton Town side. The former Nottingham Forest and Ipswich Town winger has scored six league goals for the Cobblers, including a last-gasp equaliser in their recent 1-1 draw with Rochdale.
Anderson played alongside fellow FA Youth Cup winner Stephen Darby at Bradford City last season. Darby has been with the Bantams since leaving Liverpool in 2012, racking up over 200 appearances in the process.
If Darby’s Bradford win promotion to the Championship, he could be lining up against Adam Hammill and Jack Hobbs next season.
Hammill had stints with Wolverhampton Wanderers, Huddersfield Town and Middlesbrough before helping Barnsley to League One play-off glory at the end of their 2016/7 campaign. He has only missed three games for the Tykes all season.
It has been a different story for Hobbs. The Nottingham Forest centre-back has not featured regularly this season due to persistent injuries.
Craig Lindfield currently plays for non-league team Trafford. He recently scored in their 4-3 defeat to a Tadcaster Albion side featuring former West Bromwich Albion and Middlesbrough midfielder Jonathan Greening.
Goalkeeper Dave Roberts has spent the majority of his post-Liverpool career in Welsh football. His current club, Llandudno, sit 8th out of 12 in the Welsh Premier League table.
Godwin Antwi is also playing outside of English football. The Ghana-born centre-back enjoyed spells in the Norwegian, Danish and Thai leagues before moving to the Malaysia Super League in 2015. Antwi has made seven appearances for Melaka United this season.
One player from this FA Youth Cup side to be back at Liverpool in some capacity is Paul Barratt. He works for the Reds’ International Academy and is Head of Football at the Dubai English Speaking College (DESC).
Sadly, Miki Roque passed away at the age of 23 from pelvic cancer.
Receive exclusive football transfer news and updates twice a week to your mailbox
