Liverpool midfielder Charlie Adam believes victory in the Carling Cup will represent the first step on the rung of the ladder which will lead the club back to success.
The Reds have not won a trophy since the FA Cup six years ago and Sunday's encounter against Cardiff is the closest they have come to ending that run since the Champions League defeat to AC Milan in Athens in 2007. Liverpool start as firm favourites against the npower Championship club and Adam believes it is time for the club to re-enter the winner's circle.
"For me, it will be a proud occasion. This club is a massive club that has won trophies at home and abroad," said the Scotland international, a summer signing from Blackpool.
"When I came here, I said I wanted to win trophies. Fortunately the final of the first competition of the season has come around, and we are in it. We've had to work hard to get here and we will do our best to enjoy the occasion but the only way we can do that is by winning it.
"To be part of a team which is successful is great. We are on the first step towards success, and if we can do that, then great. When you get the opportunity to win a trophy, you have to take it. You can see from the selections the manager has made right throughout this competition that we have wanted to win it from day one.
"Other teams maybe don't play as strong a side as they could, but we have said from day one that we want to win every competition we enter, and we are still involved in three competitions now."
Like a number of his fellow summer signings, Adam's first six months have produced mixed fortunes as manager Kenny Dalglish has tried to knit the new arrivals into the side. Adam, like Stewart Downing previously, admits there is a step up in terms of pressure when you move to Anfield.
"At the end of the day you know the expectations as soon as you walk through the door," added the 26-year-old. "You see the players that have played here, and the amount of trophies that have been won. The expectation is here.
"It takes time for players to settle in, but we have a wonderful support that will back the team to the hilt no matter how well they are playing. You have to fight every week to get into the starting 11 at this club. It is a challenge that everybody has to take - it doesn't matter who you are.
"As long as the players are giving 110% for the fans, the supporters will accept that. We try to do that every week and there have been very few games this season where we have let ourselves down. As a group of players hopefully we can achieve something special."
Source: PA
