CAIN & CLARKSONHOW OLD WERE YOU BOTH WHEN YOU CAME TO THE
ACADEMY AND HOW CLOSE ARE YOU AS MATES?
Leighton: I was seven when I came here and Jake was five.
We’ve known each other for 11 years now as we’ve been mates
from the start and we both come from Lancashire.
Jake: Where we’re from maybe had a part to play in how close
we are as our families have known each other for years too.
Leighton: On the pitch we’ve got a good partnership in
central midfield so that’s probably why we’re also as close as
we are.
Jake: We’ve both played in central midfield from the start
and I think that’s given us both a very good understanding of
each other’s games. We know how each other play and we
complement each other’s games as well as we’ve had this
partnership since the age of seven.
Leighton: I think there’s a natural understanding between us
because we’ve had so many years playing in midfield together
and we’re similar types of players. We know what we can do
and we know what we can ask of each other on the pitch, so it
is good in that way.
DO YOU PREFER PLAYING AS DEEP CENTRAL MIDFIELDERS
OR FURTHER FORWARD?
Leighton: It doesn’t really bother me, to be fair. Obviously if
you’re playing further forward you get more chances to attack
but less time on the ball. So it varies, depending on where I’m
asked to play, but it doesn’t really bother me either way.
Jake: I prefer playing a bit further forward. I like getting
chances, scoring goals and making assists, but like Leighton
I’m happy to play anywhere in midfield as well.
YOU’RE BOTH LANCASHIRE LADS. WHAT’S THE DRESSING-
ROOM BANTER LIKE WITH THE SCOUSERS?
Leighton: Er, it’s...a bit different! There are quite a few
Lancashire lads here, not just us two. Niall Brookwell and Rhys
Williams, who is out on loan, are also from Lancashire and
Rhys has family from round by mine. Jake and Niall support
Wigan Athletic, I support Blackburn Rovers and Rhys supports
Preston North End, so there’s a bit of banter between us all
around that.
Jake: We get a bit of stick from the Scousers about where
we’re from, but we’ve got better banter than them.LEIGHTON, YOU WERE ON THE BENCH FOR THE FIRST TIME
AGAINST MK DONS IN THE CARABAO CUP AND THEN IN THE
NEXT ROUND AGAINST ARSENAL AT ANFIELD. WHAT WERE
THOSE EXPERIENCES LIKE?
Leighton: Surreal, really. I’ve been playing football since such
a young age and when you’re young you don’t really think
about things like that. It’s only when you start getting older
that you realise what things could be like. I didn’t get on at MK
Dons, but to experience being part of the first-team squad –
the changing-rooms, the amount of fans that were there – for
the first time is something I won’t forget. For the game against
Arsenal there were more fans there, so I was probably more
nervous for that game than the first one because Anfield is
Anfield, it’s our stadium.YOU DIDN’T GET ON IN EITHER GAME, SO HOW WERE YOU
FEELING SAT ON THE BENCH?
Leighton: I was desperate to get on, but I was nervous at the