“Dream Come True” – Tom Hill On ‘Amazing’ Liverpool Memories, ‘Love’ For Academy Coach & More | OneFootball

Liverpool’s academy has been a fruitful one down the years with products of the youth ranks such as Steven Gerrard, Jamie Carragher, Robbie Fowler, and the much-discussed Trent Alexander-Arnold all having hugely successful first-team careers with The Reds.

The likes of Curtis Jones and Jarell Quansah are more recent graduates having been with the club from an early age, however, despite an impressive track record, strong enough to match many in the Premier League, not every youngster who arrives as a mini Red goes onto forge a career at Anfield, often the development and work that goes into a player is preparation for a career further down the pyramid.

Tom Hill, an energetic midfielder, a Formby-born boyhood Red who joined Liverpool at the Under 6 level, all his life dreaming of representing the club he adored, whilst that dream was achieved against Aston Villa in that infamous Carabao Cup clash in 2019, his path has since taken him to League Two relegation battling Harrogate Town.

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Having suffered a season-ending ACL injury in September 2020,  the club showed faith by giving the Scouser a new long-term deal a month later after turning 18, leading to first-team involvement on pre-season tours including a start alongside Darwin Nunez and Mohamed Salah against Manchester United out in Singapore.

Unfortunately for Hill fitness issues continued to plague him, suffering numerous setbacks and in total the youngster missed around two years of football and development time. Despite returning to feature prominently for the Under 21s and being made captain by Barry Lewtas in 2024, the youngster made the switch to Yorkshire in January 2025.

A string of sub-cameo appearances followed before an impressive full debut display against Accrington Stanley led to praise from manager Simon Weaver, however, once again injury struck, this time a hamstring tear, sidelining Hill for the remainder of the season.

After a Q&A with the home supporters, Dan spoke to Tom ahead of Harrogate Town taking on Gillingham at The Exercise Stadium about his move, his time at Liverpool and more…

On the decision to leave Liverpool: “Yeah it was (a big decision), of course. Obviously, with me being at Liverpool for so long, it was hard. Everything changes, it’s a big thing. But I feel like I was ready for it. I was ready for men’s football, ready for the senior game and I just wanted to get some games under my belt, really. I felt like when I spoke to the gaffer here at Harrogate it felt like the perfect place for me. So, yeah, I’m really happy with how it’s gone so far.”

On how it’s gone so far: “I was loving it, to be fair. Even in training, all the lads, they’re a boss group of lads, I couldn’t have settled in any easier. And then, obviously, playing, I was really enjoying myself. And as you said, it’s frustrating to pick up an injury, especially as I felt like I was just hitting the ground running and just getting myself going. But, you know, that’s football. I’ve been through it before, it is what it is, and I’ll come back stronger.”

On Liverpool: “I’ve not got anything bad to say about my time at Liverpool, especially being a Liverpool fan, you know. Made some amazing memories there, coming up through the Unders, even going on all the tours and stuff to places abroad and stuff. But, yeah, having that little taste of being around the first team and stuff, it was a dream come true.”

On fighting back from setbacks: “You know, it felt like the amount of work that I put in to get myself back on the pitch, it was all paying off. Yeah, it made me savour the moments a little bit more, and I really enjoyed those moments.”

On Barry Lewtas: “I’ll always love Barry. I actually had him when I was under 12, so I’ve known Barry for years, and I couldn’t have asked for a better coach at Liverpool. He helped me in every way that I needed and I’ll always wish him the best of luck in what he does.”

On LFC bringing through academy players: “I feel like it’s important everywhere you go, especially at Liverpool. I feel like there’s always been at least a couple of homegrown talents in the team and I think they bring that edge to the team as well. When you see Curtis playing, he knows what it means to play for the club, and he’s been there as a fan. So, yeah, it’s always important to have them homegrown players in the team, just to give the team that little bit more edge.”

On playing with Conor Bradley & Jarell Quansah: “Yeah, you can always see the talent that they had. It’s hard because the whole team is talented, so it’s hard to pick out a few, but looking back on it, yeah, you can see the talent, and you can see exactly why they are where they are today.”

On what next: “I’ve got all summer now to get myself ready and then hit the ground running when I come back for pre-season and then start the season well.”

Fortunately for Tom and his new club after a recent upturn in fortunes, penalties were shared on a cold afternoon in North Yorkshire as a hard-fought 1-1 draw with Gareth Ainsworth’s new side, who were without Liverpool loanee Dominic Corness on the afternoon, means that League Two survival looks almost certain and next season can be looked forward to by all involved.

Good luck to Tom as well!