Accrington Stanley star Connor O’Brien reveals adorable childhood photo with Liverpool legends ahead of FA Cup clash
CONNOR O’BRIEN fondly remembers the day he was a starry-eyed little kid who met his Liverpool idols outside a hotel in Accrington.
And pride of place at his Lancashire home is a framed photo of himself as a small boy, wearing the team’s away strip and tracksuit top, flanked by club legends Steven Gerrard and Jamie Carragher.
You wonder if they advised him: “If you don’t drink milk, you’ll only be good enough to play for Accrington Stanley!” just like Ian Rush was said to have advised two young Liverpool fans in a famous 1980s TV ad.
Fast forward to 2025 and not only is O’Brien very happy to play for his home-town club but on Saturday the right-back is set to turn out against his Kop heroes at Anfield.
And the 20-year-old said: “Dad put me in a Liverpool kit before I could stand, so this is a dream come true.
“I was excited when I got the chance to meet all the players as a kid when they were staying at the Dunkenhalgh Hotel here in Accrington ahead of a game against Burnley.
“Dad found out they were staying, so we drove up and the entire squad were having their pre-match walk around the grounds.
“Rafa Benitez was manager and dad asked him if we could get some photos with the players. His assistant, Sammy Lee, put his arm around me and took me to meet the team.
“We got pictures with half the squad — and the one we have framed at home is me with Gerrard and Carragher.
“I sadly wasn’t able to get one with Fernando Torres because he was injured. But it was a day I’ll never forget.”
BEST FREE BET SIGN UP OFFERS FOR UK BOOKMAKERS
Saturday, whatever the outcome, will surely trump that memorable childhood moment.
O’Brien — born and bred in Accrington — has always yearned to tread the Anfield turf and since his first visit to the iconic stadium, there has been one scenario playing through his head.
He said: “The main thing is the fans singing You’ll Never Walk Alone.
“Everybody dreams about walking out and listening to it.
“So knowing I’m going to be there as a player and hear it, that’s what I’m so excited about.
“That song makes you dream. I’ve always felt it gives you extra motivation. You go home thinking about that song and how you want to be playing at Anfield.”
O’BRIEN’S SUSPENSION SCARE
But O’Brien has been sweating over Christmas and New Year because his ambition of facing his idols was almost dashed by a three-match ban.
He picked that up for an incident in a League Two game against Salford last month.
The defender was caught on camera kicking out at opponent Kelly N’Mai off the ball — an incident missed by the officials — and he was retrospectively suspended by the FA for violent conduct.
Then Stanley’s Boxing Day game at Tranmere was postponed because of fog and last Saturday’s trip to Colchester was also in doubt owing to freezing temperatures before the referee gave the match the go-ahead — much to O’Brien’s relief.
He said: “There were four games to go before the Liverpool match, so when Tranmere was called off it only needed one more postponement for my suspension to carry into the FA Cup match.
“I was praying Colchester would go ahead but was sweating because there was a strong rumour it was going to be called off.
“It’s a huge lesson learnt. It was a silly mistake to do what I did and not something I want to repeat.”
BREAKING THROUGH
O’Brien has been with Accrington since the age of eight and captained the club’s Under-18s in the FA Youth Cup.
Last season he broke into Stanley’s first team as well as being capped by Republic of Ireland Under-21s.
The defender is also a childhood supporter of Stanley as a local boy and used to watch from the terraces — listing his two favourite moments as Matty Pearson’s extra-time winner to knock then-Premier League Burnley out of the League Cup in 2016 and the promotion to League One in 2018.
He said: “I was there all in my all-blue Accrington tracksuit and ran on to the pitch to celebrate.”
Regarding his ‘other’ team, O’Brien rates Liverpool’s Champions League triumph in 2019, when they beat Tottenham in the final, and their Premier League success in 2020 as his two standout moments.
His all-time idol is Gerrard because he was a leader who would either “smash one in from 20 yards” when the team was losing or “would smash someone in the tackle before going on a powerful run”.
Now, Mo Salah and Virgil van Dijk are his two favourite players in the current line-up.
If either of those two feature, he will be trying everything to nab one of their shirts at the end — although he knows he will have to be quick with the whole Stanley team keen, too.
‘WE WANT TO SEE VAN DIJK, SALAH AND ALL THEIR STARS’
Asked who he would most like to face, he laughed: “Whoever is their worst player!
“Please don’t give me Luis Diaz, though.
“Seriously, we want them to play their strongest team. We want to see Van Dijk, Salah and all their stars.
“This was the tie we wanted when the draw was made. To be involved in a match at Anfield between the two clubs I love is unreal.”
ARN-BELIEVABLE
O’Brien has been bowled over by the job Arne Slot has done since replacing Jurgen Klopp as boss in the summer.
He said: “I was one of the rare ones in our fanbase. I felt we needed that fresh start — a rebuild.
“I didn’t know too much about Slot but, wow, he’s impressive.”
The League Two minnows are a whopping 86 places below the Premier League leaders in the English football pecking order.
But O’Brien has a prediction.
He said: “I reckon Liverpool will win the treble — not the Quad, obviously, because Accrington can knock them out of the FA Cup!
“We’re not going there to roll over, we’re aiming to win. Why not dream?”