'Late goals are no fluke, we never give up'
Barry Lewtas praised the resilience of his side after yet another late goal earned Liverpool U18s a priceless point away at West Bromwich Albion in midweek.
Yasser Larouci’s 90th-minute equaliser in the 3-3 draw was the eighth time this season the young Reds have netted a decisive, last-gasp strike.
As Lewtas’ team prepare to host Wolverhampton Wanderers at the Academy on Saturday, the race for the U18s Premier North title is set to go to the wire.
With three games left to play, the Reds are two points behind leaders Derby County, although the Rams do have a game in hand.
Saturday’s meeting with Wolves starts at 12pm BST and you can watch the game live on LFCTV GO.
Read on for Lewtas’ thoughts on an eventful midweek encounter at West Brom, the strong character of his team and an exciting finale to the campaign…
On the 3-3 draw at West Brom…
We got the two-goal lead but I wouldn’t say we were on top and dominating the game at that point. We did well to get the two goals but then it was disappointing to concede not long after that, and then when it went to 2-2 it was probably a fair result. They had a good spell in the game and then they went 3-2 up which was disappointing. We changed our formation and went to three at the back and got at them more down the sides. We then had more control of the game. It was a whirlwind of a game and the boys stayed in it at the end and got a point. Looking back at the last 30 minutes, it was the least we deserved. Obviously it wasn’t the best day at the office, but sometimes that can happen.
On the resilience and spirit of his team…
It’s no fluke that we have got so many late goals this season and it sums up the personality and the character of this side. They got so many men behind the ball at times and in the first half we had so many good moments to attack and counter-attack, but we didn’t really make the most of that. When Yasser scored right at the end we actually could have won the game in stoppage time with Bobby [Duncan]. Rhys Williams also hit the post and their goalkeeper made some good saves. We certainly had good chances and, at this point of the season, we have to take them as a group. But we got a point and we will be ready for the next game.
On the meeting with with Wolves and three games left to go in the league…
It’s another tough game in prospect because Wolves have been doing well recently. We are excited to be back at home and are looking forward to it. The lads were disappointed they couldn’t get the win at West Brom, but towards the end of the season there’s going to be a few ups and downs and we keep going. It’s exciting for the lads and we will pick ourselves back up on Saturday.
On Manchester City being confirmed as the opponents for the FA Youth Cup final following their victory over West Brom…
It’s another exciting game to look forward to and we can’t wait for it. They are a good team, it’s a long way off because we have a few more games to look forward to first before then. That will be a nice showcase to end the season and it’s exciting.