1-1 HT, not as straight forward a game as would be expected by the relative budgets of the two teams.

Come on Chelsea... second half.

Bloomin brilliant third goal !!!!

Good win in the end, difficult match against a Wimbledon like team for days past on a poor pitch.

 

This 3-5-2 formation works well for the current Under-18 side. Trevoh Chalobah, Jake Clarke-Salter and Fikayo Tomori are big enough and versatile enough to cope at the back, allowing Charlie Wakefield and Jay Dasilva to get forward at every opportunity. These two players are total contrasts - Wakefield being first and foremost a winger, yet with the build of a full back, whereas Dasilva is the complete opposite - but the attacking instincts and crossing ability of both means that Tammy Abraham and Ike Ugbo get plenty of service as a twin spearhead. If there is a downside, it’s that Abraham becomes less of a focal point in this system and our best striker’s hunger for goals may not be completely satisfied [to the tune of 30-plus a season] by employing it too often. 

 

That said, the goals are flooding in from elsewhere, so from the team point of view, as opposed to an individual’s, there is a lot to like in terms of differing strategies coming from Joe Edwards and Jody Morris. In particular, I really do like the central midfield pairing of Kyle Scott and Mason Mount. Slight of build they may be, but last night they proved that size is no drawback if you’ve got a quick brain and good technique, even against an opposition’s Route One approach designed to curb possession, either by bypassing your midfield totally, or by constantly hounding you when you’ve got it in that area. Scott especially, with his languid [yet precise] quick one-two-touch movement of the ball, is simply a joy to watch. Here’s hoping that in a couple of years time these skills have been developed further, to a level transcending that of McEachran and Kakuta, onwards and upwards, perhaps even into Luka Modric territory. 

 

Finally, a word on the fifth man in the midfield five, Mukhtar Ali, who is by far and away the best goal scorer of the bunch (as seen with his free kick) and, having featured as a defender throughout the age groups for us, he also adds a bit of bite that might otherwise be said to be lacking across this line. All in all, though, there is every reason to be confident that this group can emulate those that have gone on to win the FA Youth Cup in the last five years. If only we saw more of them thereafter…. but that’s another story altogether.  

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Actually the worst age group we've had in recent years imo, and they are still dominant.

Edited February 10, 201610 yr by dan_cfc

The FA Youth Cup doesn't seem to be getting quite the same coverage this year. I completely missed the fact that we had Reading in the quarter finals last Friday - thankfully we won 2-1 (Da Silva & Abraham) so are through to the semi-finals for the 7th year on the trot. We will meet Blackburn over two legs and hopefully the semi's will be on Sky.