He continued in the reserve team in 2008–09, and was also named on the bench for the first team's 3–1 League Cup third round win over Middlesbrough. He made his first team debut in an FA Cup fixture at home to Tottenham Hotspur on 24 January 2009, coming on as a 53rd-minute substitute for fellow debutant Fábio da Silva. His league debut came three days later, on 27 January 2009, when he came on as a 71st-minute substitute for Gary Neville in a 5–0 win over West Bromwich Albion. On 1 March 2009, Eckersley was named on the substitutes bench for the League Cup Final which United won 4–1 on penalties, this gave Eckersley the first medal of his career.