Academy column: Stevie made us proud

Last Sunday was an incredible day as Anfield staged an All-Star charity game organised by the Liverpool FC Foundation and it was a proud moment for everyone at the Academy. Part of that special day was being allowed to celebrate alongside Steven Gerrard to participate in his game. That was fantastic because it allowed us to pay our thanks to him because he has been an unbelievable ambassador for this football club and more importantly he has been an unbelievable ambassador for the Academy as well. Alongside Jamie Carragher they have set the standard we have got to try and follow, so to be a part of that with the players and staff was a real privilege.

It was a proud moment for Jerome Sinclair, Joao Carlos Teixiera, Cameron Brannagan, Joe Maguire and Lawrence Vigouroux who all played a part in the game and all of them can hold their heads high with pride. Playing alongside Thierry Henry in a forward line is something Jerome will never forget. Jerome has worked really hard this season and has really applied himself, and I think he is starting to reap the rewards of his hard work. He is on loan with Wigan Athletic now alongside Sheyi Ojo and he will benefit greatly from that. It was a fantastic opportunity for the lads to all have a little part of the afternoon. It was great to see Joao back because he is having a great season on loan at Brighton. I thought they all played their part in what was a very successful afternoon. I think the day was a great motivation for everyone at the Academy. It served its purpose from our perspective of really showing what can be achieved. It was great for the Foundation and the charities that we were able to help and raise money for and also to help Steven and Jamie have a great day.

It was an absolute honour for me to sit next to Roy Evans on the bench for Jamie's team. Roy is one of the unsung heroes because he has given so much to this club in various capacities over the years, so to be able to sit next to him and help in any way I could was an honour. He is a true gentleman, he loves the club and has a huge knowledge about players. Alongside us on the bench we had staff from the Academy in Andy O'Boyle (head of fitness and U21 fitness coach), Mark Morris (goalkeeping coach) and our physios Andy Renshaw, Richie Partridge and Liam Kershaw. I am very lucky at the Academy to work with some excellent staff, and the staff who were there with me at Anfield contributed to making it a special day. It was special for us to have Brendan Rodgers and his staff in the opposite dugout as Brendan has made this club a one club family. I thought the supporters were excellent and it was lovely to see some of the former players come back, because sometimes when they leave they don't always have the opportunity to say goodbye and express their thanks to the supporters and vice-versa, so I thought it was a real nice opportunity for them to come back and play in front of the Kop again.

As always the Academy is a hive of activity and this week is no exception. Our U16 squad are in Amsterdam this weekend competing in the prestigious Amro Future Cup. Our U16s coach Pepijn Linders was keen to take the boys there. We reached the final last year and played really well and were unlucky to lose to the host side Ajax 2-1. Sheyi Ojo was in that team and he is now doing well on loan in the Championship at Wigan Athletic. Our team will be young this year and they will be two years younger than a lot of the other teams. I expect them to do well but it will be difficult for them.

I have been at St George's Park this week with our U13 squad playing in the Nike Cup tournament. I'm enjoying that then I will go to Amsterdam to help Pepijn this weekend, then next weekend I will be in a tournament in Bilbao with Our U13 and U14 squad. It's lovely for me to be able to work with these lads and take them to tournaments which is fantastic for their development.