United Thru in Youth Cup

United 2-0 Birmingham City
FA Youth Cup 3rd Round; at Altrincham FC; attendance 635

A cold damp night at Moss Lane. I missed United's only game in this competition last season. I had a bit of flu, United lost, and I've survived to make it to another December to watch another young team of possible future stars.

Just settled my position at the front of the barrier in front of the pitch and we're one up in the first minute with a header from Paul Pogba in a No.8 short. Could this be a game of lots of goals? Another goal after half an hour from Ajose in No.11 shirt. A cracking wide angle shot from the right side.

Second half switched to behind the Birmingham City goal thinking I'd see some action. How wrong. Most of the play was in front of the United goal. That includes a penalty save by Conor Devlin. Then numerous other saves as Birmingham piled on the pressure.

Enough of the match report let's do the trivia.

Ritchie DeLaet and his missus were stood behind me in the first half. He looks taller off the pitch than on it, and she wears big heels with jeans. Mist came sweeping in during the second half. When I saw a gritting lorry with flashing lights pass the ground I was feared of a sudden cold snap. As I could still see the lights on the semi-detached houses across the road the fear went away. Took my flask of hot chocolate to the game. It's a neat small item that fits in the pocket. Unfortunately my drink was tepid with bits in it. Note to diary - get your act together this winter.

Admission £5. Bit of shock as a season ticket holder it should be free - the rumour in the ground is that this was a FA directive. Well we all know the FA - they don't do the fans any favours. Other costs : tram fare £2.70, bus fare £1.50, confectionery £1.06.

Below are the teams, and some of these lads will be in a first XI somewhere in a few years. I won't remember their youth team debut but I can claim I was there.

United: Devlin; Fornasier, Thorpe (Massaci 21), Wootton, McGinty; Ajose, Tunnicliffe, Pogba, Morrsion; Petrucci, Keane W
Subs not used: Johnstone, Cole, Lingard, Cofie

Birmingham: Butland; Dunphy, Packwood, Preston, Rowe; McPike (Bogle 74), Mutch, Sammons; Hubbins, Jervis, Asante
Subs not used: Redmond, Daniels, Hronec, Ntambwe

K-Oed from Youth Cup

Oh well it was United 1 -2 Carlisle United in the FA Youth Cup tonight. Played in Northwich, a suburb of Manchester I've never visited. So I won't be seeing any later rounds played at Old Trafford this year.

I always take an interest in the FA Youth Cup. Possibly because it was the first game I went to as a very wee lad from Stretford. All I can remember is that it was dark, noisy, and standing both bewildered and fascinated amongst big adult people in the Main Stand. A year later I left my dad behind and came with my mates for a daylight Saturday match...

Fortunately for the future of football as a major spectator sport, parents still take their kids to accessible, low-priced matches and another generation of support is born.....

FA Youth Cup Final

Click To Play

The usual chaos at OT, turnstiles not open but hang on we're going to open this one in 10 minutes. Next minute there is a massive snake of people behind us. Didn't get a programme, a dire first half, people still coming in 20 minutes after kick-off. L'pool score, it's level on aggregate. 2nd half is better, but it's getting cold. Extra time, sack it, drive home, Sky Sports 2, then penalties, lost by missing two. First time I've seen 90 mins and watched extra time at home on the same night.
Attendance: 24,347 Team Line-ups so can check back in two years to see who has made the 1st team...

United: Zieler, Eckersley, Strickland, Chester, C.Evans (Moffat, 99), Welbeck (Eikrem, 88), Drinkwater (Bryan, 72), Hewson (c), Galbraith, Fagan, Brandy.
Subs: McCormack, Woods (GK).

Liverpool: Roberts, Darby, Spearing (c), Threlfall, Burns, Barnett, Ryan (Woodward, 95), Ajdarevic (Irwin, 82), Putterill, Flynn, Lindfield.
Subs: Mimms (GK), Highdale, Parsonage.

Penalty Shoot-out: Eikrem 0-0, Putterill 0-1, Fagan 1-1, Lindfield 1-2, Chester 2-2, Flynn 2-3, Galbraith 3-3, Threlfall 3-4, Hewson 3-4.

Youth Cup Final part 1

Didn't check the result until in work the next day. A 2-1 win away is great, and taking a penalty in front of the Kop takes some nerve. All set up for the return leg at Old Trafford but it won't be easy.

FA Youth Cup Claw Back

Bit of a rush to get to a 1930h kick off. United v. Arsenal - a goal down from the first leg, and after the 45 minutes the visitors look the better side. We're sitting here getting colder and colder, the annoying paper horns blowing (3 GBP from street sellers who don't go to a game), thinking away goals count double. They don't, when Arsenal score we think it's a mountain. Then the team start playing well - getting it back to 2-1. Then it dawns it's extra time. 2-2, 3-2, 4-2 in that further half hour. Glad to be home - but put us down for the 2nd leg of the final. It's against Liverpool.

Big Crowd for Youth Game

An astonishing Youth Cup record crowd of 38,187 cheered Arsenal to a narrow semi-final first-leg victory over Manchester United at the Emirates Stadium. That was last night 14th March. Think I'd better get down to Old Trafford for the return leg on Monday 2nd April. Early doors kick-off at 1900h and only a fiver admission.