Manchester United U18s will face Nottingham Forest U18s in the FA Youth Cup final at Old Trafford this evening. It is the first time United have made it to the final since the 2010/11 season which saw the likes of Jesse Lingard, Paul Pogba and Sam Johnstone lift the trophy.
United have won the FA Youth Cup ten times, appearing in 14 finals – this will be the 15th. The U18s beat Scunthorpe United, Reading, Everton, Leicester City and Wolverhampton Wanderers to reach the final of the competition.
Forest beat Bristol City, Peterborough United, Cambridge United, Blackburn Rovers and Chelsea to reach the final of the competition. Forest are a good team, currently in fourth place behind United in the U18 Premier League table with both teams set to face each other again this weekend.
With both teams on 41 points in the U18 Premier League this season, with one match left to play, it will be a match to fight for a third-placed finish in the league. However, there is no trophy for that and both teams have had a positive season in both competitions.
Manchester United:
Vitek;
Jurado, Bennett, Jackson, Murray;
Mainoo, Gore;
Mather, Hansen-Aaröen, Garnacho;
McNeil
Substitutes:
Wooster, Pye, Forson, Aljofree, Oyedele, Hugill, Ennis
Nottingham Forest:
Bott;
Abbott, Johnson, Hammond;
Powell, McDonnell, Hanks, Collins, McAdam
Esapa Osong, Taylor
Substitutes:
Akers, Perkins, Thompson, Perry, Nadin, Gardner, Korpal
United have played a total of 14 FA Youth Cup finals, winning ten of them. The competition was founded in 1952 with United winning the trophy for the first five seasons, from 1952/53 right the way through to 1956/57. That was some achievement.
United beat Wolverhampton Wanderers in the first two seasons, West Bromwich Albion in the third, Chesterfield in the fourth and West Ham United in the fifth. United won it for the sixth time in the 1963/64 season, beating Swindon Town.
In the 1981/82 season, United were beaten by Watford in the final, making the final again in the 1985/86 season, where they were beaten by Manchester City. The seventh win came in the 1991/92 season where United beat Crystal Palace in the final.
Making the final the next year (1992/93, United lost to Leeds United. The eighth win came in the 1994/95 season where United beat Tottenham Hotspur in the final. It would be a while before United won the trophy again.
In the 2002/03 season, United beat Middlesbrough in the final, winning their ninth trophy, then making it all the way to the final again in the 2005/07 season, where they were beaten by Liverpool. The tenth win came against Sheffield United in the 2010/11 season.
Written by John Walker
