Stephen Torpey returned to Lilleshall with his boots in a plastic bag and his life in the balance. He was fearful and lonely, but a credit to himself.
Joe Cole, his friend and former classmate at the Football Association's National School, was just down the M6 with the England squad, preparing for the auspicious launch of Sven Goran Eriksson's career in international management.
Cole, a multi-millionaire before most boys sit A-levels, embodies the dream. Torpey, at 19 the same age as Cole, represents the reality of the factory farming methods which produce modern footballers.
Torpey was touted as a prized product of the Anfield Academy. He won eight England Youth caps and the respect and envy of his peers. Two weeks ago, Liverpool told him he would be released in June. Manager Gerard Houllier could not afford to wait for him to join his revolution.
On Wednesday, Torpey was one of 62 boys playing for their futures in the Premier League's Exit Trials, the suitably Orwellian name for an ordeal in which the rejects of an imperfect system perform for scouts who are their main hope of a second chance.
Torpey was one of six Liverpool Under 19 players, split into four groups when they arrived at Lilleshall on Monday. He was entrusted to the care of Mark Lillis, quietly rehabilitating himself after being sacked as Halifax manager.
Lillis, whose rough and ready grasp of psychology has been shaped by the rigours of the lower divisions, explained: 'I had to get the anger out of them.'
To do so, he isolated his squad in a lecture theatre and laid himself bare. He told them: 'I know what you're going through. You've not failed. Don't have regrets. It took me six clubs to get my break as a player. Just tell me how you feel.'
It took time to fill the embarrassed silence. But once the dam of suppressed emotion had been breached the atmosphere became highly-charged and confessional.
One boy murmured: 'I've let my Mum and Dad down.'
Another said: 'I don't know why I'm here, I'm finished.'
A third said simply: 'That's it. That's me. Out of it.'
Torpey was calmer and more rational. He argued: 'Emotion hampers you. Being let go is a shock, disillusioning. But you can't look back. You can only look forward.'
Outside, chilled to the bone in a biting north-easterly wind carrying flurries of sleet, were the men Torpey and his fellow-hopefuls were desperate to impress - scouts from more than 40 clubs, joined by another eight from the United States.
They whispered into mobiles and tried to blend into the bleak landscape. They would no more tell you their targets than reveal details of their bank accounts.
But behind the facade of professional detachment there were signs of consciences stirring. Mike Dickinson, as Everton's head of education, was responsible for the welfare of seven trialists, including four youth internationals.
He admitted: 'It's upsetting. You can sense the boys' tension. The most important thing is that they go away with dignity intact and self-worth maintained. They need to feel people genuinely care about their lives.'
One Second Division scout, showing the insensitivity and political incorrectness of a true football man, was a little less prosaic. He said: 'It's a cattle market, isn't it?'
Dave Richardson, the Premier League's head of youth development, acknowledged: 'I'm the first to admit the professional game is not the best at letting people go. It is not a very nice thing to do.
'The problem is that everyone is told they're a great player when they join the system. There's a lot of silly talk about money. We don't need to bark at these boys. They need sympathy and empathy.'
Like the 80 under 16 players assessed on Thursday, the 62 at the Exit Trials were given careers advice and compiled CVs to present to potential employers. Their nervous energy was concentrated on three 30-minute practice matches.
Torpey, a left-sided striker who can operate in midfield, did enough to suggest he will be one of the six or seven who will be offered a fresh start. But the strain was etched on his pale, taut face.
He said: 'I want to succeed so much. I didn't expect what has happened to me but I can understand it. I know I am not a bad player but Liverpool have the money to go out and buy the finished article.
'Maybe one day I'll still play for them and be a star. I just have to find another route. They tell me I'll get a letter next Friday, telling me whether there are any clubs interested. It's going to be a long, long week.'
John Burke could not help himself. He wanted to be at the Lilleshall Exit Trials to be near his only son, to share his pain.
Burke said: 'I love him. I was never close to my father and I just want to tell Andrew how proud I am of him.'
His son is barely 18, a left-sided midfield player who represented the Republic of Ireland at Under 16 and Under 17 level. He made his debut for Tottenham reserves at Watford on February 21 and asked his father as they drove home: 'That's a good sign, isn't it, Dad?'
The following morning Andrew was told he had no future at Spurs. The impact on his father, who has devoted his life to his son in the two years since he was made redundant as a plasterer, was immense.
Burke Snr said: 'You get caught up in the madness. The pressure on the boys is incredible. I'm scared how they will react to rejection. They have the stamp of failure on their foreheads. You've got to pick up the pieces and it's not nice. Andrew developed nervous habits.
'I could see him staring into space. He didn't want to come to Lilleshall but I told him he owed it to himself.'
The journey was not entirely in vain. The whisper was that Andrew would get a week's trial at Norwich. John Burke said: 'It's what we want. Something to keep us going on the way home.'
Steve Heighway stood on the Lilleshall touchline, sank deeper into his quilted overcoat and attempted to rationalise conflicting emotions.
The 53-year-old former Liverpool star, now director of the club's academy, monitored the progress of six boys he had been obliged to release to the Premier League Exit Trials and admitted: 'These are our babies.
'We live our lives through these kids. I've known them for 10 years. They're great lads, good players, but nobody is kidding them. Football is a very competitive industry. Because of the foreign players in our game there are fewer opportunities for them. They've gone as far as they can.
'We've 24 to 26 players in our first-team squad. We've got internationals in the reserves. Keeping these kids would hold them back. It's best for them to move on.'
