MatchThe inside track on Accrington Stanley: 'We hope it's a day and game to remember'

The Reds will begin their participation in this season’s tournament by hosting the League Two opposition for a 12.15pm GMT kick-off.

Ahead of what is only the second competitive meeting between the clubs, Liverpoolfc.com spoke to On Stanley On! (Official Accrington Stanley Supporters Club) chairman Peter Leatham about what to expect from the visitors, giving us the inside track on the opposition and more…

Peter, thank you for talking to us. Firstly, could you give us an insight into how the season is going for Accrington? It appears mixed…

It was always expected that this season would be one of transition, with a new management team building their squad after the departure of several of our higher earners in the summer.

The rebuild was inevitable, with injuries massively affecting the availability of some of those who arrived, and with our small budget you definitely need your key players out on the pitch week in and week out.

Unfortunately for a club of our size and standing, we are not shopping in the higher end, we are very much in the last-minute deals and any incomings are then augmented by loans, which are often offering Premier League U23 players their first taste of regular football where livelihoods are at stake. It can sometimes be a tough learning curve.

These factors certainly came into play with a poor start to the season, which generally saw promising positions derailed by conceding late goals. It took a 2-1 victory over Morecambe to register the first league win of the season; this was the 11th game of the season in all competitions.

Since getting off the mark it’s been a season of fits and starts with promising away victories at high-flying Chesterfield and Gillingham, though they’ve been followed by recent home losses to both Salford and Bromley, albeit both being played in gale-force conditions, which negated any attempts to play football.

It’s been thought by many that the team probably hadn’t garnered the points they deserved and recent victories over Grimsby and Colchester have given us an unbeaten start to 2025.

In the FA Cup we were provided with a trip to face Rushall Olympic in the first round, with Stanley progressing thanks to a 2-0 victory.

We then saw Ian Holloway bring his Swindon Town side to the Wham Stadium in round two, a week after the sides had played out a 2-2 draw, only for the game to finish with the same scoreline.

After the decline of replays, it was penalties and after a couple of fine saves from Everton loanee Billy Crellin, Stanley romped home 4-1 to earn a third-round tie.

And who have been the key players for Stanley so far? Who should Liverpool fans be keeping an eye out for in particular?

Working through the side, Crellin has been steady in goal, making some important saves but also with a couple of moments he would probably want to forget, but that’s to be expected as a young ’keeper gaining valuable league minutes.

The experienced Farrend Rawson has been joined in the middle of the defence by Zack Awe, a loanee from Southampton who has generally adapted well to his first taste of league action. Another loanee, this time from the red side of Manchester, Sonny Aljofree, has cemented his place with some assured performances and often forms a back three with Rawson and Awe.

Wing-backs have been more of a challenge, with Liverpudlian Jake Batty, on loan from Blackburn, missing the past few weeks after a good start and he is now nearing a return. The gap on the left has recently been filled by Ben Woods, a central midfielder by choice, but one that has a left foot that packs a punch.

Stanley academy graduate Connor O’Brien has been a regular on the right, however international call-ups (Republic of Ireland U21s) and a suspension have seen the versatile Donald Love step into the role.

The holding midfield role has been a mix of club captain Seamus Conneely, ex-Liverpool Academy player Liam Coyle and Bolton loanee Nelson Khumbeni, with the experienced Conneely rarely playing a full 90 minutes.

Dan Martin has recently returned to fitness and is being eased back into the midfield battles.

On the offensive side of midfield, we have the evergreen, Prescot-born Shaun Whalley, who we first saw at Stanley in 2006. He returned 17 years and some 400 games later and at 37 is still one of the fittest in the squad. He provides valuable experience and especially for this fixture, as he was part of the Shrewsbury side that visited Anfield a few seasons back.

On the flipside we have young Alex Henderson, who is another through the academy and he certainly can provide a bit of flair when called upon.

Ash Hunter, who joined in the summer, has been a starter of late and has put in some encouraging performances also.

Up top, Dara Costello, on loan from neighbours Burnley, has been a threat, but is likely to miss the game through a knee injury, probably leaving Tyler Walton to lead the line. Walton was plying his trade at Southport last season and has grabbed his chance of league football with both hands, contributing some vital goals.

Kelsey Mooney and Jimmy Knowles formed a 40-goal-plus strikeforce last season as Boston won the National League North, and while both have been on the scoresheet this season, they are finding League Two defences less accommodating. Mooney is just finding his way back after an injury and may come off the bench in this one.

Young Scouser Josh Woods provides some pace up front either in a central or wide role and has managed to influence games when called upon. He will be determined to play a part in this game against his boyhood club.

Are you able to give us some insight into manager John Doolan? How has he fared at the club?

This is John’s first managerial role, although he was Stanley first-team coach under John Coleman and Jimmy Bell, as well as assistant to Alan Stubbs up at Hibernian, so he has a good pedigree in the game.

He has been joined by long-term friend Ged Brannan and they certainly work as an effective duo. Brannan was U23 coach with Stanley, both are former players at the club, before he managed Morecambe for a spell last season. He was lured back to Stanley in the close-season as Doolan looks to put his mark on the club.

It was always going to be a difficult task to replace a management team that had over 20 years of service and some four titles to their name, but the fans have come round and are united behind the manager and his team.

It takes a certain breed to manage our club, probably the smallest budget in the division, meagre crowds by most standards and generally it’s a challenge to attract players.

However, what we can do is offer a platform to players who have often been released from local academies or are playing non-league, with the understanding that they will move on if they prove their worth.

In recent times we have had Jordan Clarke (Luton) and both Cameron Burgess and Kayden Jackson at Ipswich, Colby Bishop at Portsmouth, Josh Windass at Sheffield Wednesday, Dion Charles at Bolton, and our very own Ross Sykes graced Anfield for Belgian side Union SG last season.

And tell us about the reaction to the FA Cup draw – what is the view in Accrington about facing Liverpool from the supporters?

On the basis that we are not going to lift the trophy at Wembley then realistically it’s all about the financial benefit to the club.

The last few seasons has seen a personal investment in our community club by owner Andy Holt, which has given us a stadium and facilities to stand the test of time, the envy of many of our peers and the base for a sustainable future.

This tie represents a welcome slice of the fabled ‘football fortune’ and an injection of unbudgeted capital into the club. We have to run a tight ship, probably half-a-dozen non-playing full-time staff are boosted by a group of volunteers, so anything which is added into the pot is always welcome. Unfortunately, the riches of the PL are a distant panacea on the horizon and well out of reach of our proud little club.

We pride ourselves on trying to make visitors welcome and wanting to return and many have commented on the friendliness and have labelled it as their favourite away day.

For our fans it will be a good day out, the chance to visit one of the country’s premier stadiums and they will support the team to the hilt. The players will give their all and we can’t ask for more. Whatever side Arne Slot fields it should be victorious 99 times out of a 100, but we will hope and aim for that remaining one per cent.

There’s also a bit of historic connection between the two clubs…

There have been a few links between the clubs, ever since Accrington FC played their inaugural league game as founder members at Anfield – we lost 1-0.

Stanley visited Anfield again in 1956 when two Billy Liddell goals earned Liverpool a 2-0 FA Cup win at the same stage as Saturday’s game.

Coyle is one of the latest recruits, joining after spending all his formative years in the Liverpool Academy. He has proved to be a shrewd addition by adding plenty of fight into the heart of the midfield. He will certainly be relishing a return ‘home’.

And, lastly, is there anything else you’d like to mention about the game?

We hope it’s a day and game to remember, that Stanley perform to their best but, most of all, everyone enjoys a good day out. After all, it’s only a game!

There’s that milk advert, which earned the club a few shillings and a certain notoriety and it was nice to see Carl Rice, who uttered the phrase “exactly!”, at the second-round game at the Wham Stadium.

Then there are the two lads from Kirkby who came to the club in 1999 as fledgling player-managers and left having made a lasting impression on the football club. There were a great number of Liverpudlians in the matchday squads of both red and blue persuasions, however both Coleman and Bell are avid Reds fans.