Unselfish Paul Glatzel praised by Barry Lewtas as Liverpool U18s reach FA Youth Cup semis

Young guns: Paul Glatzel celebrates with Rhys Williams and Elijah Dixon-Bonner
Liverpool FC via Getty Images
David Lynch7 March 2019

Liverpool Under-18s boss Barry Lewtas paid tribute to Paul Glatzel’s selflessness after Bury were thrashed 5-1 to secure a place in the semi-finals of the FA Youth Cup.

Having already notched his 25th and 26th goals of a remarkable season to put the young Reds in the driving seat at Gigg Lane, Glatzel capitalised on a defensive error to go clean through again in the final moments.

But, rather than going for his hat-trick, the 18-year-old squared the ball for strike partner Bobby Duncan to tap in and set up a last-four meeting with Watford at Anfield.

For Lewtas, that moment represented the highlight of a fine night’s work for his team, who are targeting the club’s first FA Youth Cup win since 2007.

Asked what pleased him most about the performance, the Liverpool-born coach replied: “If I’m going to be honest, probably Paul’s pass at the end.

Liverpool FC via Getty Images

“I’ll be truthful, I knew he was going to do it, I knew he was going to pass, because that’s what he’s like, he sees the bigger picture.

“It’s about the team but also deep down he probably knows he’ll get more praise for the pass!

“But that says something about the mentality we’re trying to build at the academy about the game, about the team.

“I always say to the boys, ‘There’s enough in the game for you, and there’s enough for the team’, and I think that epitomised it, so we’re really proud of him.”

Victory over Bury has handed Liverpool’s youngsters the chance to play at Anfield in the competition’s next round - something Lewtas used as a tool to motivate his players before their quarter-final tie.

“It’ll be my first and for some of the boys it’ll be their first,” he added.

“It was the last thing we said in the team meeting before we left, we had a lovely picture of Anfield up and said, ‘It’s a huge reward, a huge carrot for you’.

“Hopefully we’ll get a few in at the Kop end and it’s just a great experience. I’m really excited and the boys will be excited.”

The big games keep coming thick and fast for the U18s, who face a top-of-the-table Premier League clash with Derby County on Saturday before a midweek UEFA Youth League trip to Dinamo Zagreb.

Liverpool FC via Getty Images

With the FA Youth Cup semi-finals now also on the horizon, Lewtas is looking forward to a challenging period for his squad.

He continued: It’ll just be onto the next one. We’ll recover tomorrow, see what we’ve got, and we’ll pick a strong team for Saturday and it’ll be their job to carry the baton in the next game.

“We’ve set ourselves up now, although there’s a big one Tuesday, the [Youth Cup] semi-final is likely to be the weekend after, so wherever we look the next game is just the next big one.

“The beauty of the Youth League is that we get boys moving down, so that maybe helps carry the load a bit. It’s exciting.”

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