O'Rourke hoping loan at Halifax will be stepping stone to Liverpool first-team

O'Rourke joined Town loan last week for the rest of the season and has come off the bench in Halifax's last two games.

The 21-year-old joined Liverpool when he was 13 and has supported The Reds since he was a child.

"I couldn't really believe it when I joined them," he said.

"When I was playing in school I got scouted.

"We had quite a good team so a few scouts would always come and watch."

O'Rourke watched Liverpool's Champions League final against Real Madrid in Paris last year.

"The first big European night I went to was when Liverpool played Dortmund, the atmosphere was great," he said.

"I went to the Barcelona game when we won 4-0, which was good as well.

"I've tried to go to as any games as I could when I was younger, either with my brother taking me or one of my mates.

"I can't remember my first game, I must have been seven or eight, I just remember the feeling going up into the Kop.

"Seeing the pitch for the first time, ever since that I just knew I wanted to be out there playing."

O’Rourke was captain of Liverpool's under 18's side and was a part of the Liverpool squad that won the FA Youth Cup in 2019.

The forward has made a handful of appearances for the club's under 21 side in the Football League Trophy and has trained with the first-team a few times.

"Not as many as I'd have hoped to but sometimes you still can't believe you're training next to Thiago or whoever, you're just like 'whoa, this is good this'," he said.

"It's one of the best in the world to develop yourself and it's helped me hugely.

"I wouldn't be the player I am without Liverpool.

"Coming on loan now it's a whole different ball game, the pitches are different, more bobbly, but it's just something to get used to.

"Playing competitive games, the pitches are bobbly so you have to be more careful with your touch.

"But it's all enjoyable."

O’Rourke spent time earlier this season on loan at Caernarfon Town in the Welsh Premier League and scored seven goals in ten appearances.

"It was great for me, I don't know if I was ready enough to go straight into the man's game or not, but I think it was definitely a stepping stone for me to go on loan," he said.

"It boosted my confidence a lot that I was able to score against men in that league.

"Since then I feel confident in my own abilities to perform against men."

On his move to Halifax, O'Rourke said: "I think this is the next step for me to better myself, definitely.

"Hopefully it all goes well.

"Obviously I missed the chance at the weekend but at least I got the chance and hopefully I can score the next one."

O'Rourke has played as a number nine throughout his youth team days at Liverpool but also operated off the right wing on loan at Caernarfon.

"I think at Halifax I'm going to be playing maybe just behind the striker, which is a good experience to be able to play in all these different positions," he said.

"I like to play off the defenders' shoulders, get behind them.

"I can beat players one v one as well but I think my game is more getting in-behind defenders, whether it's taking them on in a one v one or running off them."

O'Rourke says he is confident he can thrive at National League level.

"Once I start finding my feet and playing, you'll probably be able to see that a lot more," he said.

"It's a challenge I'm willing to take on.

"I want to get to the top of the game and I think coming out on loan will help me for the future."

O'Rourke is determined that his future lays in the first-team at Liverpool.

"I'm eager to be playing at Anfield in-front of the fans, but everyone's path is different," he said.

"I think mine will be a bit different to just going straight into the first-team, like some players have done.

"I've just got to be patient, work hard wherever I am and hopefully I can make it one day at Liverpool.

"Loans are about getting experience, playing in-front of different fans at different grounds.

"It's bound to put me in good stead for the future."

When asked what would it mean to him to make the grade at Liverpool, he said: "I've supported Liverpool all my life, so it would mean the world to me.

"That's what my dream is, to be playing regularly for Liverpool.

"But for now I'm focusing Halifax and trying to impress as much as I can, and get as many goals as I can before the end of the season and then we'll go from there."