John Doolan eyes Trent Alexander-Arnold reunion – and huge FA Cup upset
The Accrington boss was a coach at Liverpool’s academy when Alexander-Arnold was coming through.
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Your support makes all the difference.Accrington manager John Doolan is hopeful of a reunion with Trent Alexander-Arnold this weekend before attempting to mastermind a seismic FA Cup shock at former employers Liverpool.
Doolan was an academy coach at Anfield when he first spotted the talent of a six-year-old Alexander-Arnold, whose future at Liverpool has been the subject of intense speculation in the last fortnight.
While he accepts Alexander-Arnold may have no recollection of him after nearly 20 years, Doolan is optimistic of catching up with the England full-back and his mother Diane when Accrington travel to Merseyside to take on the Premier League leaders on Saturday.
“I looked after Trent when he was six and seven, which he probably won’t remember, but his mum, Diane, might, I spoke to her quite a lot,” Doolan said.
“He was a centre-forward and you could see the ability he had then, scoring with both feet, could just glide past people. You could see he was an outstanding talent, even back then.
“When I moved on with my career, I ended up going back at some point and he was playing at centre-back, which I was surprised at. But he didn’t look out of place playing centre-back.
“That’s why he’s now playing right-back and he’s developed unbelievably. He’s a world-class player.
“It would be nice if he does remember but it would be nice to see Diane and catch up with her as well.”
There are 86 places in the football pyramid separating Liverpool and Accrington, who sit 19th in League Two, so Doolan is realistic about Stanley’s chances, even if opposite number Arne Slot rests several first-teamers.
I looked after Trent when he was six and seven, which he probably won't remember, but his mum, Diane, might, I spoke to her quite a lot.
While Accrington have no fitness concerns, they have been hampered by the inclement weather this week, with snow covering the Wham Stadium pitch and forcing them to get creative with their preparations.
“We’ve been indoor and soccer domes, we’ve had spin and yoga classes, we’ve had the advice off our sports science person,” Doolan said.
“We know the size of the task, we could have had the best facilities ever but you’re talking about playing Liverpool Football Club.
“But Liverpool might have an off-day and we might have an unbelievable day. We might have Lady Luck with us, you just never know, it’s the magic of the cup.”
Boyhood Everton fan Doolan, whose Accrington side are set to take around 4,700 fans to Anfield, has one extra reason for wanting to one up Liverpool.
“The amount of times I’ve gone home on Saturday after a derby defeat,” Doolan said with a smile. “But it would be nice to get one over on them.
“I want everyone to enjoy the occasion. These are the things you have to remember when you go there – it might never, ever happen again for these players or for the club.
“You do have to go and enjoy it but we want to go there and give a good account of ourselves as a team. Ultimately we’re a professional club so we want to try and get ourselves in the next round of the hat.”