The Reds came from 3-0 down to win the 2005 Champions League final...
Jon Whitney wants his side to take inspiration from Liverpool's famous Champions League win in 2005 when Walsall face Barnsley in tonight's play-off semi-final second leg.The 45-year-old, a lifelong Liverpool supporter, watched his beloved Reds come from 3-0 down to beat AC Milan on penalties in the 2005 Champions League final in Istanbul.
And now Whitney is hoping the Saddlers can perform another ‘footballing miracle’ by becoming the first team in play-off history to overturn a three-goal first-leg deficit.
“I’ve watched that Liverpool game many times and I watched it again in the last week with my little boy,” said Whitney.
“He was upset with our result at Barnsley and the fact we now need three goals but I said to him, ‘look, Liverpool did it’. They showed it can be done.
“They believed they could do it – that was the secret. Of course it can be done and it’s been done many, many times before.
“Liverpool’s first goal that night gave them belief. You need a spark because if you keep hammering at the door and it doesn’t open, then it doesn’t matter how strong you are, you’ll start to doubt it.
“There does need to be a break but I do believe the harder you work, the luckier you get.
“It was a special night (when Liverpool won the Champions League) but, from a personal point of view, if we can pull it off against Barnsley then that would top it. It wouldn’t even come close.
“It would be an incredible achievement for us to get through but we need a performance and we’ll see what happens at the end of it.”