Shaun Whalley relishing Anfield outing despite absence of lucky charm Jude
The Accrington winger says he usually scores whenever his 10-year-old son watches him in action.
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Your support makes all the difference.Shaun Whalley will be without his lucky charm this weekend for what the boyhood Liverpool supporter reckons will be his final visit to Anfield as a player.
Whalley, who grew up idolising Michael Owen and was in attendance for Liverpool’s 2005 Champions League final win in Istanbul, says he usually scores whenever 10-year-old son Jude watches him in action.
The Accrington winger’s goal celebrations are a nod to his child, who Whalley credits for helping him turn his life around following problems with alcohol and gambling earlier in his career.
But Jude, who has nonverbal autism, will be cheering on his father from home when Stanley travel to take on the Premier League leaders in the FA Cup third round in a lunchtime kick-off on Saturday.
“My little boy Jude and football, they’re the most important thing in my life,” Whalley told the PA news agency. “Having a kid has been the best thing that has ever happened to me.
“He has been to a few games and I normally score when he comes as well. He’s not going to come to Anfield because it’s a bit too much for him sometimes.
“I told him I was playing there. He actually went with his school not so long ago on a trip there.
“I always show him my goals and my celebration is always a ‘J’ with my hands for Jude. He’s always there with me.”
You never know in football. But Liverpool are an unbelievable team and it's going to be really tough for us.
While Accrington are gearing up for their first clash against Liverpool since their only professional meeting in 1956, Whalley was at Shrewsbury when they were twice paired with the Reds in the FA Cup.
A 2-2 draw four years ago, where Whalley admitted missing a couple of sitters “which I still play back in my head every night I go to sleep”, was followed by Liverpool winning the replay 1-0 on Merseyside.
Injury denied Whalley in 2022 but he admitted to having a hunch he would get another shot when watching the draw a couple of months ago, and the 37-year-old is determined to savour the occasion.
“When Liverpool came out, I had a feeling it would be us, it was a mad feeling,” Whalley said. “I’ve drawn Liverpool three times in the last six years. The first time, we played them at Shrewsbury and drew to get the replay.
“I remember walking out before the replay and all the fans were singing ‘You’ll Never Walk Alone’, I was almost crying just thinking about the game and what it means to play there.
“We got them again when I was at Shrewsbury but I’d pulled my quad, which I was gutted about. I thought that was my last chance, so to get them again is a real stroke of luck.
“I think I’ll enjoy it a lot more this time around than I did last time. It’s a special place to go, this is probably going to be the last time I get to play there and I’m really looking forward to it.”
Whalley, who has had a couple of dozen requests for tickets with Accrington selling out the 4,700 allocation, has scored three goals in his last two games to go into the Liverpool clash with some momentum.
“You never know in football,” Whalley added of Accrington’s chances. “But Liverpool are an unbelievable team and it’s going to be really tough for us.”