Marsh: Youth Cup is a carrot
Liverpool first-team coach Mike Marsh has described the FA Youth Cup as a carrot for the club's upcoming talents as they prepare to face Histon in the fourth round of the competition.
With Steve Cooper at the helm, the U18s thrashed Swindon 5-0 at the previous stage to maintain their hopes of lifting the trophy for the fourth time in Liverpool's history.
The game is being televised on LFC TV and online, and Marsh sent a message to the youngsters before their trip to Bridge Road - use the cup as motivation.
"I'd like to wish them all the best for the tournament, it's a great tournament to be involved in," he explained to Liverpoolfc.com.
"It's a great opportunity for them to progress to the next round, playing a non-league side, albeit away from home.
"It will be a difficult tie but if we play to our potential, I'm sure we'll get through to the next stage.
"We were knocked out last year at the first stage against Swansea when we played them away. We were really disappointing on the night and never managed to progress.
"I think it took the players a week or two to get it out of their system because it was a real disappointment for all of us.
"So if you actually manage to stay in the tournament it gives you a lot of enthusiasm as the season progresses, because it is a long season.
"To keep the players motivated right through the season can sometimes be difficult and if you've got that carrot of fighting for a place in the Youth Cup, it's a good motivational tool for the coach."
Qualification for the knockout stages of the NextGen Series, following a 4-1 victory over Inter Milan, was also a boost for the players attempting to impress at the Academy according to Marsh.
He added: "They were fantastic. It was a must-win game and we won the game comfortably.
"We approached it right, played really well and fully deserved the points. I'm glad to see us into the next stage because it's a competition that we did well in last year.
"The experience you get in the NextGen and the FA Youth Cup will benefit you if you manage to step up to Melwood and play in the bigger games."
Progress in both competitions is tangible proof of the work done by the club's youth coaches - and Marsh emphasised his appreciation of the development being overseen.
The former player concluded: "There's always good spirit among the lads at Liverpool, good character among all of the teams regardless of whether you're at the young stage or playing for the first team.
"What you have to remember is that those first three games were all away from home against top European sides. They've all had to come back and play Liverpool on their own patch, and we've managed to reverse the results.
"There's some fantastic staff. Rodolfo [Borrell] has done a brilliant job and now he's stepped up to technical director.
"We've brought in Alex [Inglethorpe] from Tottenham, who has started like a house on fire.
"The staff that have been there for a while - Steve Cooper, Mike Garrity - and all the younger coaches are doing a fantastic job. I can't speak highly enough of them all."