Man City prospect James and brother John chasing same FA Cup dream

There will be plenty of Manchester City eyes on Sheffield United on Sunday to see if top prospect James McAtee can continue his promising season by booking an FA Cup semi-final date at Wembley.

But the 20-year-old won't be able to have his parents at the game because they will be nearly 250 miles away in Brighton watching his brother John trying to achieve the same dream with Grimsby.

Two McAtee brothers from Walkden, both on loan from their parent clubs and both one round away from a big day out at the home of English football. Of all the magic this famous old cup has seen, this is some tale on the cards.

After a meeting with a past legend in Vincent Kompany and his Burnley side, City may well be looking to the future watching James. He has impressed club bosses enough during his year at Sheffield United to be under serious consideration at the Etihad for next season, and the FA Cup is a fantastic run to go alongside his current club's push for promotion back into the Premier League.

City really didn't want to let McAtee go on loan, and those close to him made clear that no member of Guardiola's squad has successfully returned to the first team after making a temporary move. However, the youngster saw it as a challenge to be a trailblazer and become the first one; after walking into the Sheffield United manager's office and asking how they would improve him, he has barely looked back.

John is the classic underdog, both in the competition and in his career. League Two side Grimsby have defied all manner of odds to make the quarter-finals, beating Southampton in the last round to book a tie with Brighton, and the 23-year-old is blossoming after rejection in academy football nearly made him quit the sport altogether.

"I thought I was done with football," he said. "My dad got a phone call off my Under-9s coach at Liverpool, Ian Dawes, who had the youth team at Shrewsbury. "They said to bring me to a game, I played against Coventry Under-23s and I scored a hat-trick. I don’t know how, I couldn’t tell you how!

"They gave me a scholarship straight after the game. I’d forgotten about footy for three months prior to that.

"I had a lot of confidence in myself. Those three months wasn’t me losing confidence, it was just not enjoying it anymore. I wanted to enjoy it as much as I could.

"I kind of fell out of love with it, hated it. I just wanted to go to college and be a normal Salford lad, enjoying certain things with my friends."

At this point, he is interrupted by brother James struggling to stifle a laugh at what those certain things may have been.

The pair are sat next to each other in a hotel bar but their manner could not be more different; older brother John leaning forward in his chair eagerly listening to both the questions that come his way and anything James might be struggling to put into words, while the younger boy slouches back, eyes scanning mischievously for anything amusing in the room or a chance to take the mickey out of his older sibling.

It is a trait that runs in the family, with mum Gill and dad John keen for their two boys and daughter Lucy to stay grounded whatever success they have - and missing no opportunity to (lovingly!) make sure nobody's head gets too big. The jokes rifle between the brothers over 40 minutes of conversation and continue when their parents turn up.

What is clear is that it keeps them all tightly knit, even with James and John living away at their respective clubs and neither able to remember how old their sister is. James in particular relishes having an older brother not just to finish his sentences but to be there for him when he needs support in his fledgling career.

John is always happy to help, and was particularly useful after a bruising start for James to his Championship loan where he was hooked at Luton after what the local paper described as an 'anonymous' first half in an August game. The youngster spends the next six matches on the bench before finally getting a start, and has to wait until Boxing Day before he is picked to play more than two games on the bounce.

"You’ve got your brother who does the same job as you. It’s one of the best things in the world," said James. "We trust each other, we’re a close family. I can always turn to him. A little message.

"It’s easier when it’s coming from your brother because you know he wants the best for you. With other people you’re always second guessing. He’s giving the best advice possible and wants you to be happy.

"Luton was a big learning curve. It was more than just kicking me, it was me not being aware of the level I was stepping into. I was a bit arrogant, a bit..."

"Naive," John offers up. "Yeah," agrees James. "Naive to go into the game that I’ve always been decent in no matter what game. It was a big wake-up call and probably the best thing that’s happened.

"My brother and some of the lads at Sheffield put their arm around me and said it happens to everyone. If that game hadn’t happened, I don’t think I’d be as good as I am now. I wouldn’t have learned lessons.

"I went into the Championship thinking it’d be the same, that it’d go well. At the start it made me take a step back. But I don't think I could make the next step without this step.

"If you asked the players at Sheffield, I’ve grown a bit, I’ve got stronger. Second balls was a big thing for me – I was reacting to the ball instead of being around it in the first place. It’s a lot of tactical stuff and a lot of help from Hecky and Macca [coach Paul Heckingbottom and assistant Stuart McCall].

"I feel like I’m getting better with the physicality and the pace of the Championship. I can start doing the things I like to do and affect the game more. It’s been a good middle part of the season and hopefully it carries on."

John is also in a good place after securing a move to, funnily enough, Luton last summer but also taking the bold step to go back on loan to Grimsby in League Two. As well as growing in confidence playing regularly, he is happy that he gets to enjoy the role of older brother offering advice as the two have grown closer as their careers have taken more similar paths.

"When you look at how we’ve got to where we are, it’s very different but that’s helped a lot. I’ve had quite a bit of adversity," said John.

"When he’s had a bit of that – not a lot – I’ve kind of gone through those and overcome them. He’s doing that right now.

"He had a couple of bad games at the start of the season but looks like a different person completely. We can help each other. We don’t really talk when things are going well. We speak a lot more when it’s not going well, to check we’re all right.

"As the older brother, I feel I’m a bit more entitled to do that than he would naturally. He does it as well. I just want to see him do well.

Both insist that they are opposites, although James admits that he is anything but his laid-back self when he goes onto a pitch even if he is still cool enough for pressure both from high-profile games and from being tagged the Salford Silva from a young age to bounce off him.

"Some of my mates back home wind me up about it. I don’t get annoyed by it – it’s an honour," he said. "David Silva is one of my idols. I’ll take it any day.

"I wouldn’t say it’s pressure. It’s just a nickname that fans like to use. The fans aren’t saying I have to be as good as Silva.

"I like to feel pressure, I like those high pressure games. I’ve got an alter-ego on the pitch, I’m not as laidback as this. I’m constantly on my toes, constantly ready. I care. I love the game.

"My character is that if someone kicks me I get back up, I don’t cower. In the Championship, they just kick me harder!

"I’ve had to change. The size is a lot different. I try not to get into any fights, try and find my own space."

It is that fight and resilience that has really impressed City the most this season when they have checked in on him at Sheffield United. His talent is not in doubt - it was showcased again this week with an important equaliser against Sunderland before fellow City loanee Tommy Doyle netted the winner - yet the way he has responded to the weekly kickings and to that early setback at Luton have encouraged the recruitment team at the Etihad that he has the character needed to make it at the highest level.

And despite both brothers being adamant that they are opposites, they have both shown similar grit to make it in a callous and lonely industry where things can very easily go wrong very quickly. While their dad may be unable to offer tips to them on their football - James's jaw drops in horror when he is asked if his listens to his advice - it is clear that their family upbringing has played a major role in them both defying astronomical odds to make it in the professional game.

Their dad is a former professional rugby league player who can actually say he played at Wembley back in the 1990s against a touring New Zealand side, while their mum is a dance teacher and adjudicator. Neither brother really knew their great uncle, World Cup winner Alan Ball, before he died but the football and athletic stock in the genes has certainly given them a headstart to help the mentality and effort.

"It’s our character," says James. "Neither of us give in. We bounce back, try our hardest."

"You have to give our parents a lot of credit," adds John. "We wouldn’t be where we are right now. I’ve seen lads where their parents aren’t too bothered, whereas ours really do care. I used to be scared of what my dad would say to me if I didn’t play well. That was the best thing for me."

The pair are already planning to take a shortened summer holiday before returning to work with a personal trainer so that they can go back to their clubs in the best condition to give themselves the best chance of making it at City and Luton respectively. And before that, there may be more magic waiting for them in the FA Cup as Wembley awaits the winners of the quarter-finals.

Their only competitive meeting was a game in the EFL Trophy a few years ago where City Under-21s trounced Scunthorpe 4-0 as James picked up two assists, but a semi-final reunion would be on another scale completely. Both intend to make it there - even if it adds to the toll on their parents.

"I think mum was a little bit nervous," said James. "We didn’t want one of us to hurt the other. Not on purpose, by accident. If we both got through to the semi finals I think she’ll be a lot more stressed.

"They’re more proud than excited. My mum and dad are very happy for us but I don’t know what they’ll be like if we play each other! This would mean a little bit more...a lot more.

"Obviously the final is the dream but we’d take the semi-final. That’d be a game we can always remember."

John chips in: "We’ve got to beat Brighton first, mate. That’ll be some going."

It is some going for the brothers to have achieved what they already have. Even if a Wembley meeting proves beyond them, their parents can expect to be busy watching the pair every week for many years to come.