Brad Jones is living his schoolboy dream at Liverpool

Posted Wednesday, September 26, 2012 by The Sun

Brad Jones is living his schoolboy dream at Liverpool
IN SAFE HANDS ... fan Brad Jones is determined to hold on to a Kop starting place

BRAD JONES will walk out at West Brom tonight smiling at the moment he stunned his old schoolmates into silence.

The Liverpool keeper starts at The Hawthorns with Brendan Rodgers ringing the changes for the third-round clash.

It is a rare chance for the Aussie No 1 as the Reds begin the defence of their trophy at the team which dumped them 3-0 on the opening day.

The call-up will remind him of the day his teacher back in Perth asked the class of eight-year-olds what they wanted to be when they grew up.

Jones, 30, revealed: “There were two things I said when I was eight. One was to play for Australia, which I have, and the other was playing for Liverpool, which I’ve done too.

“When the teacher asked, the others said fireman, policeman or whatever.

“When I said I wanted to play for Liverpool it was like “OK, move on, next.’

“This was not just a move for me, it was an achievement. There’s a lot who’ve said they supported Liverpool, but there are photos of me at six, seven, or eight running about in every kit there was.

“My mum’s family used to send them over. I had every poster, every magazine going and my dad’s still got the 1987 yearbook, even though it’s in bits now.”

Jones’ dream move came when Roy Hodgson paid Middlesbrough £2million in 2010, yet for a time last year football was the last thing on his mind.

The amiable Australian lost son Luca, five, to cancer and naturally everything else was suddenly so unimportant.

He admitted: “Football was on the back burner, it wasn’t something I was too worried about.

“To have what was going on in my personal life and push to get a game was not going to work.

“This season is completely different. I came in three or four weeks early because I felt this was the year I really had to crack on.

“There’s something about coming in every day that makes everything you’ve sacrificed worthwhile. I would not walk away if I was given the opportunity to stay.

“Last year was hard because I wasn’t involved and it did get to a point where I started thinking I’d have to look elsewhere.

“The difference now is I get these opportunities and if I keep proving I can do it, hopefully I will get more — I’m living the dream.”

Jordan Henderson is another who will get an opportunity to shine and a good show could nail down a regular starting slot with Jonjo Shelvey banned for three games.

Rodgers insisted: “Jordan is working his socks off and has a great appetite to learn. He lives his life right and he doesn’t do stupid things off the pitch.”

LIKELY LINE-UP — LIVERPOOL: Jones; Wisdom, Carragher, Coates, Enrique; Henderson, Sahin, Suso; Assaidi, Pacheco, Downing.