Stevie, you are a bit of a rarity when it comes to local born players in the current Liverpool squad in the fact that you actually supported the club as a kid?

Yeah, I was a Liverpudlian and always have been, although I have been to some Everton games in the past. When I was young I would go to any match I could. After joining Liverpool's centre of excellence I'd get tickets off Steve Heighway, so my dad used to take me to Anfield quite regularly.

Was it your dad who influenced you to become a Liverpool fan?

Yeah, my dad as always been a Liverpool fan and so has my older brother. I was always into football though and I'd have all the kits and that when I was a kid.

Do you remember the first match you went too?

I think it was Liverpool versus Coventry when Jan Molby scored three penalties. Steve Heighway got us tickets and we went along. It was a night match and it was good.

What Liverpool players did you try and be when you were kicking a ball around the school playground or in the street?

John Barnes and Peter Beardsley. They were the star players who made things happen in that team. As I got older I used to watch the likes of Jamie Redknapp, Michael Thomas and Ronnie Whelan. It was all of them really and I'd just try to learn off them.

How big a thrill was it then when you joined the club?

From the age of eight or nine I would sign yearly contracts with the Centre of Excellence and then when I was 14 I signed schoolboy forms before becoming a YTS and then a professional. I was prepared to commit myself to the club for as long as possible.

When you were at the Academy did you have much dealings with the senior players at the club?

In those days the YTS lads were based at Melwood and we'd clean the senior players' boots and do all the jobs like that. It was only when the Academy opened that we were split from them but then I was only there for a few months before Gerard Houllier took me back to Melwood.

Do you remember what was said to you when you made the step up from the Academy?

It was Steve Heighway who broke the news. He called me and Stephen Wright into his office and told us that we were going to be training with the first team squad at Melwood on a regular basis rather than with the lads our own age at the Academy. It was a big step towards me becoming a first teamer.

Was you always confident in your own ability?

To be honest, during the first few months I wasn't because the training was difficult. It was a big step up from training with lads my own age to training with the likes of Jamie Redknapp and that because they were all a bit quicker and a bit stronger. But we soon adapted and the both of us are enjoying it now.

You are no living the dream of every Liverpool fan. Can you explain what it's like to run out at Anfield with the Kop singing You'll Never Walk Alone, it must be a great feeling?

It's amazing. You get those shivers down your spine and it's the same when they sing my name. It's what I've always wanted. Everyone has a dream of becoming a professional footballer. I've fulfilled that and it's excellent. I'm made up and I'm determined to make the most of it.

Is Liverpool a club you'd like to stay at for the rest of your career?

I've just committed myself to the club for another four years. I've enjoyed every day that I've been here and I know I'm going to keep on enjoying it because it is such a great club. The people here are fantastic and the fans are fantastic. We are a good team, we're doing well and we've been successful. So there is no reason to go to any other club. As long as Liverpool want me I'm prepared to stay.

You've packed so much into your career so far but what would be the highlight?

Winning the treble last season, or should I say the five trophies. It was just amazing really, so many good things happening in such a short space of time. On a personal level it would be winning the Young Player of the Year award last season.

Were you surprised at how well you did last season?

I think we were all surprised. We all knew it was only a matter of time before we did win something but to win five trophies was a surprise.