For Jason McAteer, September 7, 1995 is a date that will forever be etched in his memory.
A childhood ambition was finally fulfilled after he signed for Liverpool from Bolton Wanderers in a £4.5 million deal. At the age of 24, the Birkenhead boy had enjoyed a meteoric rise having represented local non-league outfit Marine as recently as three years earlier.
As this milestone reaches its 30th anniversary, does it feel so long ago?
“It kind of does and it doesn’t,” says McAteer.
“I think because I’ve been out of the game for so long and done so many different things since retiring. But obviously with the way life is, and we can recreate it by going on social media now and looking back and talking about it. The 90s is kind of relevant at the minute.”
He adds: “Everything’s been brought up and everyone’s reminiscing about it. So, it kind of not feels like yesterday, but I do remember it or talking about it obviously brings back the memories.
“It’s a funny time because I also scored the goal against Holland around the same time (for Republic of Ireland in a World Cup qualifier) so I get a lot of anniversaries in about the space of two weeks.”
While at Marine, McAteer was signed by Bolton who were then managed by legendary Reds full-back Phil Neal. But it was under the stewardship of Neal’s successor, Bruce Rioch, that McAteer, and Wanderers, flourished. The Trotters rose from the third tier of English football to The Premiership with two promotions in three seasons, as well as claiming a few giant-killings along the way in both the League Cup and FA Cup.
McAteer’s Cinderella-esque story would also include international recognition. Having qualified to represent the Republic of Ireland through his grandfather, legendary manager Jack Charlton handed McAteer his debut in March 1994, before he was named in the squad for the 1994 World Cup in the USA.
Twelve months later, McAteer was part of a Bolton side that made a memorable run to the League Cup Final where he would face his beloved Liverpool. Sadly, there was to be no fairytale ending as a Steve McManaman double ensured the Reds avoided a huge upset and claimed a fifth League Cup in the process.
However, the 1994/95 season would ultimately end in glory for McAteer and Bolton as they achieved promotion to the top-flight at the expense of Reading in a dramatic play-off final that required extra-time.
Weeks later, Rioch left Burnden Park to become Arsenal manager and McAteer would eventually follow his manager out of the exit door.
But where to? McAteer was the subject of interest from not just Liverpool, but also Blackburn Rovers and childhood idol Kenny Dalglish. The newly crowned Premier League champions triggered a release clause in his contract, and he was set for a move to Ewood Park.
The phone call that changed everything
However, an 11th hour call from Anfield changed everything.
“I was having talks with Blackburn. I was literally in the room with Kenny when Liverpool rang my agent and he said they’d agreed the fee, I’m free to go and talk to Liverpool if I don’t sign for Blackburn,” said McAteer.
“I mean, Kenny was my hero, but Liverpool was my team that I supported. So, I had an emotional attachment to both, but I wanted to be Kenny at Liverpool. I didn’t want to play for Kenny at Blackburn.”
After a ‘fuming’ Dalglish called the meeting off, McAteer pursued his dream move and was so desperate to sign he didn’t even care about personal details.
He reflects: “It was never a matter of how much they were paying me. It was just a matter of when could I get started?
“When we were talking about money, I got up and walked out of the room. I went up and down the corridor in the Main Stand and just looked at all the photos on the wall. When I went back in, I didn’t even know how much we’d agreed. I didn’t even know how much I had signed for!”
Despite the daunting prospect of playing alongside a higher standard of players, McAteer was instantly made to feel at home among his new peers.
“Roy [Evans] had built this young team, so we were all very similar ages,” he recalls. “I instantly had respect because I’d been to the World Cup, and I felt part of it. I never necessarily felt I needed to show what I had. I just felt like I’d been there for ages.”
Handed the No.4 shirt, the new arrival made his Anfield bow as an 82nd minute substitute for John Barnes in a 3-0 win over his former admirers Blackburn. McAteer revealed that during discussions over his transfer from Bolton, it was understood that he would be brought in to play alongside Jamie Redknapp in midfield:
“I’d been told that I was brought in to play in midfield with Jamie because Barnes wasn’t getting any younger and it was going to be a bit of a transitional thing. So, when I went on for Barnesy, it was a bit like ‘wow!’ I’ve come on for one of the greatest players ever to play football, at Anfield. It was a dream come true.”
After a full debut arrived in the League Cup against Sunderland, in which he got an assist in a 2-0 win, McAteer’s first league start came at Old Trafford. However, the day is best remembered for the return of Eric Cantona from his eight-month suspension after assaulting a Crystal Palace fan earlier that year.
McAteer reflected: “To be starting the biggest game in the world, in English football, I class it as being up there as one of the world’s biggest games. It brings an enormity. I remember obviously, all the hype was around Cantona’s comeback, and we gave away a penalty late on.
“Cantona used to be a thorn in a lot of teams’ sides, but especially with us. He scored on his comeback, and he also scored in the 1996 FA Cup Final. But it was nice that we went to Old Trafford and didn’t get beat, but disappointed that we never won the game.”
However, one team-mate’s performance in the memorable 2-2 draw left a lasting impression on the wing-back: “It was the day I realised how good Robbie Fowler was, to be honest.”
Fowler scored twice, outmuscling a young Gary Neville and beautifully dinking over Peter Schmeichel for the second, having already rifled past the Dane at the near post for his first.
“That’s the game you show people”
1995/96 would prove to be an eventful debut campaign. As part of a swashbuckling Liverpool side that threatened to challenge at the top of the table, McAteer is effusive in his praise despite their limitations that denied silverware:
“When we got in the rhythm, we had this flow about us, like once touch two touch movement it was great. I had a good engine anyway, but when we were on it, I never felt tired, it was weird. I mean, there was lots of games I felt knackered.
“But when we were on fire at Liverpool, I never felt tired. I felt like I could just run all day.
“We were always looking to score, and we would never err on the side of the caution, and it probably did us in the end and that was our downfall tactically.”
If one match summed up that season or team, the night Newcastle arrived at Anfield in April 1996 was a perfect encapsulation of Liverpool and their opponents at their best, and indeed worst.
McAteer agrees: “We evolved into this team that I think was summed up by the Newcastle display. I think if you want to show anyone an attacking style of play with movements, commitments, passion, creating opportunities and putting balls in when they should have been, keeping possession when they should have been. That’s the game you show people.”
In a breathless and end-to-end 90 minutes, both sides went toe-to-toe with no inch given. McAteer played his own part on the night when he provided a wicked low cross from the right for Stan Collymore to tap home to make it 3-3, before the striker scored again in stoppage time to cap an unforgettable night.
In an honest appraisal, McAteer says: “From a defensive point of view, we were a bit of shambles and quite open which we got punished with a few times.
“But in one game it epitomised everything, it had a real flavour of Liverpool, and it was just what Liverpool was all about: attacking football flair and we stopped them winning the title. There’s a reason why they say it’s the best game ever.”
Ultimately though, both sides would fall short in their chase of Premier League glory as Manchester United pipped them both to the post. The Reds would also endure further heartache as a rather dour FA Cup Final was settled by a solitary Cantona strike, and remembered far more for what McAteer and co wore pre-match…
McAteer would go on to make 139 appearances overall, scoring six goals and providing 18 assists in a red shirt.
Although his time at Anfield didn’t produce any silverware, it’s fair to say that he played his part in a team that provided entertainment in a time of great change for Liverpool F.C.
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