Yup, Keane's just hit the post and Ajose's hit the rebound a couple of inches wide.
Youth Cup
- Thread starter datura
- Start date
Lovely play in midfield by Petrucci but nothing comes of it.
Too lightweight for the Premiership, you'd say?
Pogba's mannerisms remind me of pro evo players
The ref is a bit of a prick tonight.
Yeah, everything Pogba does is apparently a foul.
Yay someone laughed 
Yay someone laughed
Is it nearly over yet?
Yeah 93rd minute.
FT 2-0 United
Disappointing game, we were disjointed and Birmingham worked harder but lacked the quality in the last 3rd. Devlin's penalty save was crucial. Saying that, we could have scored 4 or 5!
Any player ratings or reviews.
Tunnicliffe was impressive in midfield tonight, him and Pogba seem to have a mutual understanding in the centre of the park.
Ajose looked dangerous every time he had the ball on the wing, but their left-back seemed to be equal to him on occasion. Morrison wasn't that good on the left but whenever he came inside he looked dangerous.
Up top Keane did well with what he was given, which admittedly wasn't much. Petrucci was pretty quiet tonight but had one particularly nice moment in the second half and possibly one or two shots which weren't bad.
Our defence was solid, McGinty was having a stormer until he got booked - at which point he decided to back off a little bit.
Devlin was excellent in goal, even if you exclude the penalty save he looked composed all night and made some good saves. I'm a big fan of Devlin, he's so stereotypical Irish, with his no-nonsense style. There was a free kick in the second half that most premiership goalkeepers would've taken the opportunity to hollywood dive and push out for a corner, but Devlin just took three steps to his right and caught it, no fuss.
Overall the early goal stunned them and when we got the second against the run of play it was pretty much all over. They fought back well but they were lacking. Their "star" striker and goalkeeper (who's apparently capped for England at this level) were particularly poor. Like I said earlier, if the striker wasn't 6'4" he'd be nowhere near a football pitch. The 'keeper flapped a couple of times and seems to have a habit of pushing everything past the post, even if it was already a couple of yards off.
Ajose looked dangerous every time he had the ball on the wing, but their left-back seemed to be equal to him on occasion. Morrison wasn't that good on the left but whenever he came inside he looked dangerous.
Up top Keane did well with what he was given, which admittedly wasn't much. Petrucci was pretty quiet tonight but had one particularly nice moment in the second half and possibly one or two shots which weren't bad.
Our defence was solid, McGinty was having a stormer until he got booked - at which point he decided to back off a little bit.
Devlin was excellent in goal, even if you exclude the penalty save he looked composed all night and made some good saves. I'm a big fan of Devlin, he's so stereotypical Irish, with his no-nonsense style. There was a free kick in the second half that most premiership goalkeepers would've taken the opportunity to hollywood dive and push out for a corner, but Devlin just took three steps to his right and caught it, no fuss.
Overall the early goal stunned them and when we got the second against the run of play it was pretty much all over. They fought back well but they were lacking. Their "star" striker and goalkeeper (who's apparently capped for England at this level) were particularly poor. Like I said earlier, if the striker wasn't 6'4" he'd be nowhere near a football pitch. The 'keeper flapped a couple of times and seems to have a habit of pushing everything past the post, even if it was already a couple of yards off.
Its been at me for a while who he reminds me of, its actually Obi Mikel although I mean that in a positive sense! Does anyone remember Mikel in the U17 World Cup? Him and Messi were the 2 best players by a country mile. Thats the sort of player he reminds me off.
I think you are being particularly harsh on Jervis in particularly, given that he had no support until near the end, he held the ball up really well, won a number of corners and free kicks and a penalty! He had very good feet and decent pace for a lad of his size.
Pogba was probably our standout player but seemed to get frustrated with the number of fouls on him, and the number given against him rather innoculously from a fussy ref who seemed determined to show he wasn't a 'homer'.
Of the 12 players who played for us tonight 8 were only 16 years old
That is good news for next season.
Was reading on the twitter, sounds like the ref was a twat
When's the draw for the 4th round? Or has it happened already? Actually, I've a vague idea it might've done
When's the draw for the 4th round? Or has it happened already? Actually, I've a vague idea it might've done
The draw is tomorrow.
Think this sums up what I thought of the game. Apart from how insanely cold it was.
2-0 definitely flattered us at half-time, apart from maybe the last ten minutes of the half I thought Birmingham probably shaded it, albeit without much of a cutting edge. Lots of pace and power upfront for them but not a great deal of real quality or guile. For whatever reason (pressure, Birmingham's tactics, who knows) we really struggled to get going and adjust to the higher tempo. Bit better in the second half but still quite a long way from what that group of players is really capable of. The penalty had the makings of a real turning point so that save was hugely important.
Great experience anyway, probably worth ten academy league matches that. Shame the ref was infuriatingly inconsistent.
To be fair, if it's the tournament I'm thinking of, Mikel was very impressive there. The wanker.
I've only seen Pogba a few times, but it seems we've got another excellent prospect there. His vision surprises me at times in the sense that he'll pick out some very difficult passes with relative ease but, as it's already been mentioned, he's very composed on the ball for his age, and this is what is impressive given his age. He seems well rounded already, and I think that, if it wasn't for the talent we already have in centre mid, he'd be pushing for reserve football sooner rather than later.
Yep the academy is probably already not enough of a challenge for him although last nights game was a good test for everyone. I know these days they pretty much know what height/weight the lads will turn out, I wonder how much they think Pogba will develop. Already one thing in his favour compared to the usual "next Vieira" stereo type is his technique. A very interesting mix to say the least.
Looks like we have drawn Burnley in the next round:
Stoke City Vs Hull City
West Ham United Vs Queens Park Rangers
Torquay United or Millwall Vs Barnsley
Blackburn Rovers Vs Leyton Orient
Bolton Wanderers or AFC Bournemouth Vs Stockport County or Fulham
Reading Vs Newcastle United
Northampton Town or Brighton & Hove Albion Vs Everton
Tottenham Hotspur Vs Portsmouth
Crystal Palace Vs Derby County
Leicester City Vs Liverpool
West Bromwich Albion Vs Aston Villa
Burnley Vs Manchester United
Hartlepool United Vs Watford
Nottingham Forest Vs Charlton Athletic or Chelsea
Sunderland AFC Vs Preston North End
Arsenal or Crewe Alexandra Vs Ipswich Town
Stoke City Vs Hull City
West Ham United Vs Queens Park Rangers
Torquay United or Millwall Vs Barnsley
Blackburn Rovers Vs Leyton Orient
Bolton Wanderers or AFC Bournemouth Vs Stockport County or Fulham
Reading Vs Newcastle United
Northampton Town or Brighton & Hove Albion Vs Everton
Tottenham Hotspur Vs Portsmouth
Crystal Palace Vs Derby County
Leicester City Vs Liverpool
West Bromwich Albion Vs Aston Villa
Burnley Vs Manchester United
Hartlepool United Vs Watford
Nottingham Forest Vs Charlton Athletic or Chelsea
Sunderland AFC Vs Preston North End
Arsenal or Crewe Alexandra Vs Ipswich Town
Clarets To Face Man Utd In Youth Cup
Posted on: Fri 11 Dec 2009
The Clarets have been handed a bumper tie in the FA Youth Cup with Terry Pashley's youngsters set to take on Manchester United.
Burnley have been drawn at home to the 2003 winners with the tie to be played by 16th January.
"I said after the last game we wanted a good draw and they don't come much better than this," said Pashley.
"I told the lads about it and they were ecstatic. It will be great to pit ourselves against the best."
The Clarets beat Scunthorpe United 4-1 in the third round on Tuesday night thanks to goals from Michael King, Liam Newman, Dominic Knowles and an own-goal.
United booked their passage through with a 2-0 win over Birmingham City.
"This is going up a couple of notches and they won't come any tougher but we will be ready for it," added Pashley.
Details of venue and admission prices to follow.
Meanwhile, the Clarets are away to Carlisle in the Youth Alliance tomorrow morning.
Posted on: Fri 11 Dec 2009
The Clarets have been handed a bumper tie in the FA Youth Cup with Terry Pashley's youngsters set to take on Manchester United.
Burnley have been drawn at home to the 2003 winners with the tie to be played by 16th January.
"I said after the last game we wanted a good draw and they don't come much better than this," said Pashley.
"I told the lads about it and they were ecstatic. It will be great to pit ourselves against the best."
The Clarets beat Scunthorpe United 4-1 in the third round on Tuesday night thanks to goals from Michael King, Liam Newman, Dominic Knowles and an own-goal.
United booked their passage through with a 2-0 win over Birmingham City.
"This is going up a couple of notches and they won't come any tougher but we will be ready for it," added Pashley.
Details of venue and admission prices to follow.
Meanwhile, the Clarets are away to Carlisle in the Youth Alliance tomorrow morning.
Couldnt get much better - Burnley have not done well at academy-level this season
MAN UTD U-18s 2 BLUES U-18s 0
Birmingham City | Match | Reports | Academy | Academy | MAN UTD U-18s 2 BLUES U-18s 0
Blues were knocked out of the FA Youth Cup by Manchester United but the Academy Under-18s side can hold their heads high after a spirited display.
Many observers will look the result of the third round match and think that the game was maybe easy meat for United's talented group of young players but that was far from the truth.
In the end it was simply a case of the hosts taking their chances because there were spells in the match where Blues were the dominant force, and Terry Westley's side can take a lot of heart from the performance into their remaining league fixtures.
Blues got off to the worst possible start, going behind within a minute. The hosts were awarded a free-kick out on the right and when Nick Ajose swung over a hanging ball Paul Pogba reacted quickest and headed home from close range - with just 58 seconds on the clock.
But they responded well on a cold night at Moss Lane, the home of Altrincham Football Club, determined to get back into the game.
With nine minutes played Jake Jervis carved open the United defence with a tremendous burst down the left. He skinned his marker and reached the goal-line before squaring an accurate pass back to the onrushing Mitch McPike, who thumped a left footed drive just over the bar from the edge of the area.
Midfielders Ashley Sammons, Mitch McPike and Jordon Mutch (pictured, right) started to pull strings in midfield and the lively Akwasi Asante began to cause problems.
On 23 Asante manufactured some space for himself on the edge of the box with good quick feet and Conor Devlin in the United goal had to dive full length to his left to keep out the Blues player's effort.
With half an hour played the home side doubled their lead - a blow to Westley's valiant side who had played so well following the earlier goal. A scramble saw the ball break to Ajose on the right, and he cut inside the area and placed a low finish past Jack Butland's outstretched right arm.
Six minutes later Butland produced a stunning stop to tip Ravel Morrison's stinging drive over the crossbar before, at the other end, Asante crafted space to cross from the left and Jervis's flicked header flew straight into Devlin's arms.
In injury time at the end of the first half England youth keeper Butland was called into action again in the form of another excellent stop, flinging himself to his left to keep out an angled Ajose drive.
Blues began on the front foot after the break and on 53 were given a gilt-edged chance to get back into things when Jervis was felled by Pogba inside the area. The visiting striker was quickly back on his feet to take the resulting spot-kick but was left with his head in his hands as Devlin flew to his right to palm away a well struck penalty.
Mutch, currently on loan at Hereford but still eligible to play in non-first team games for Blues, stung Devlin's fingertips with a shot from range as he and his team-mates rallied and then Luke Hubbins forced a corner off the keeper with an effort at the near post as Westley's side continued to ask questions.
On 66 Devlin spilled a high free-kick and Jervis (pictured, right) was quickest to react but his half volley was blocked and, under pressure from his marker, Dan Preston was unable to convert either when the ball landed at his feet on the edge of the six-yard box.
Five minutes later Jervis was brought down 20 yards out and Blues were afforded another opportunity. Mutch stepped up and took responsibility for the free-kick but his low drive flicked off the wall and behind.
On 74 Omar Bogle came on for Mitch McPike as the visitors continued to push on but time was ticking away and they needed a goal to give themselves a chance of a result.
Six minutes later William Keane struck a post for United and Sammons was then booked for a frustrated challenge on Pogba.
Blues continued to make more than a game of it but unfortunately couldn't find the back of the net and United progressed to the next round.
Manchester United: Conor Devlin, Michele Fornasier, Sean McGinty, Tom Thorpe (Alberto Massacci 21), Scott Wootton, Ryan Tunnicliffe, Ravel Morrison, Paul Pogba, William Keane, Davide Petrucci, Nick Ajose. Unused subs: Larnell Cole, Sam Johnstone, Jesse Lingard, John Cofie.
Blues: Jack Butland, Jamie Dunphy, Luke Rowe, Jordon Mutch, Will Packwood, Dan Preston, Luke Hubbins, Mitch McPike (Omar Bogle 74), Jake Jervis, Ashley Sammons, Akwasi Asante. Unused subs: Glenn Daniels, Nathan Redmond, Jakub Hronec, Brice Ntambwe.
Attendance: 635
Birmingham City | Match | Reports | Academy | Academy | MAN UTD U-18s 2 BLUES U-18s 0
Blues were knocked out of the FA Youth Cup by Manchester United but the Academy Under-18s side can hold their heads high after a spirited display.
Many observers will look the result of the third round match and think that the game was maybe easy meat for United's talented group of young players but that was far from the truth.
In the end it was simply a case of the hosts taking their chances because there were spells in the match where Blues were the dominant force, and Terry Westley's side can take a lot of heart from the performance into their remaining league fixtures.
Blues got off to the worst possible start, going behind within a minute. The hosts were awarded a free-kick out on the right and when Nick Ajose swung over a hanging ball Paul Pogba reacted quickest and headed home from close range - with just 58 seconds on the clock.
But they responded well on a cold night at Moss Lane, the home of Altrincham Football Club, determined to get back into the game.
With nine minutes played Jake Jervis carved open the United defence with a tremendous burst down the left. He skinned his marker and reached the goal-line before squaring an accurate pass back to the onrushing Mitch McPike, who thumped a left footed drive just over the bar from the edge of the area.
Midfielders Ashley Sammons, Mitch McPike and Jordon Mutch (pictured, right) started to pull strings in midfield and the lively Akwasi Asante began to cause problems.
On 23 Asante manufactured some space for himself on the edge of the box with good quick feet and Conor Devlin in the United goal had to dive full length to his left to keep out the Blues player's effort.
With half an hour played the home side doubled their lead - a blow to Westley's valiant side who had played so well following the earlier goal. A scramble saw the ball break to Ajose on the right, and he cut inside the area and placed a low finish past Jack Butland's outstretched right arm.
Six minutes later Butland produced a stunning stop to tip Ravel Morrison's stinging drive over the crossbar before, at the other end, Asante crafted space to cross from the left and Jervis's flicked header flew straight into Devlin's arms.
In injury time at the end of the first half England youth keeper Butland was called into action again in the form of another excellent stop, flinging himself to his left to keep out an angled Ajose drive.
Blues began on the front foot after the break and on 53 were given a gilt-edged chance to get back into things when Jervis was felled by Pogba inside the area. The visiting striker was quickly back on his feet to take the resulting spot-kick but was left with his head in his hands as Devlin flew to his right to palm away a well struck penalty.
Mutch, currently on loan at Hereford but still eligible to play in non-first team games for Blues, stung Devlin's fingertips with a shot from range as he and his team-mates rallied and then Luke Hubbins forced a corner off the keeper with an effort at the near post as Westley's side continued to ask questions.
On 66 Devlin spilled a high free-kick and Jervis (pictured, right) was quickest to react but his half volley was blocked and, under pressure from his marker, Dan Preston was unable to convert either when the ball landed at his feet on the edge of the six-yard box.
Five minutes later Jervis was brought down 20 yards out and Blues were afforded another opportunity. Mutch stepped up and took responsibility for the free-kick but his low drive flicked off the wall and behind.
On 74 Omar Bogle came on for Mitch McPike as the visitors continued to push on but time was ticking away and they needed a goal to give themselves a chance of a result.
Six minutes later William Keane struck a post for United and Sammons was then booked for a frustrated challenge on Pogba.
Blues continued to make more than a game of it but unfortunately couldn't find the back of the net and United progressed to the next round.
Manchester United: Conor Devlin, Michele Fornasier, Sean McGinty, Tom Thorpe (Alberto Massacci 21), Scott Wootton, Ryan Tunnicliffe, Ravel Morrison, Paul Pogba, William Keane, Davide Petrucci, Nick Ajose. Unused subs: Larnell Cole, Sam Johnstone, Jesse Lingard, John Cofie.
Blues: Jack Butland, Jamie Dunphy, Luke Rowe, Jordon Mutch, Will Packwood, Dan Preston, Luke Hubbins, Mitch McPike (Omar Bogle 74), Jake Jervis, Ashley Sammons, Akwasi Asante. Unused subs: Glenn Daniels, Nathan Redmond, Jakub Hronec, Brice Ntambwe.
Attendance: 635
Extended highlights
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Cheers GII, will watch in the morn.
Loved that double dink over the head by Pogba. At just 16 it's promising to see him try those types of moves, he's full of confidence at the moment.
Next Wednesdays youth cup game against burnley has been moved to Turf Moor
The game v Burnley is tonight, coverage on Mutv from 6.30pm, kick off at Turf Moor at 7pm, weather permitting.
Apparently Burnley were on a winning streak prior to the Xmas break so it will be a difficult and unpredictable game, especially since neither team has played in the last month. Hopefully some of our injured players will return to strengthen the squad available.
The winners are due to meet either blackburn or leyton orient in the next round.
Apparently Burnley were on a winning streak prior to the Xmas break so it will be a difficult and unpredictable game, especially since neither team has played in the last month. Hopefully some of our injured players will return to strengthen the squad available.
The winners are due to meet either blackburn or leyton orient in the next round.
The way the games have been cancelled they should have this on Sky1
http://www.manutd.com/default.sps?pagegid={B4CEE8FA-9A47-47BC-B069-3F7A2F35DB70}&newsid=6645004&page=2
United in Youth Cup action
The pursuit of FA Youth Cup glory continues this evening as United’s Under-18s travel north to take on Burnley at Turf Moor (kick-off 19:00 GMT).
For 16-year-old striker John Cofie (pictured), likely to be included in Paul McGuinness's travelling squad, it means a return to the club where he began his English football education. Cofie, a German-born Ghanaian striker, arrived at Old Trafford from Burnley in summer 2009.
Despite recent adverse weather conditions in Manchester, McGuinness told MUTV his side has enjoyed some quality preparation ahead of tonight's match.
"We missed our first league game of the year because of the weather but we’ve still been able to train because of the excellent facilities we have at Carrington," he said.
"We have a massive indoor gym and we’ve also played against the Reserves, which was really useful. That was a full-scale match on the pitch the first-team use, which has undersoil heating.
"When you play the Reserves you're up against bigger, stronger and faster opposition than you're used to. It’s a bit like sparring in boxing – when you prepare for a fight you train against bigger and quicker opponents. So it’s been really useful."
The U-18s boss says he expects a tough test against a Burnley side determined to cause an upset.
"Youth Cup ties are like a fight," he said. It’s a battle. Teams are fired up to play Manchester United and I think Burnley will be really pleased that such a big tie will be played at Turf Moor. I know the coaches at Burnley and they’re steeped in the history of the club. They’ll have their boys really fired up but also playing good football – that’s the tradition at Burnley and these guys will instil that into their team."
The Reds booked a spot in tonight's fourth round tie after goals from Paul Pogba and Nicky Ajose sunk Birmingham City 2-0 before Christmas. Originally scheduled to take place at Accrington Stanley’s ground, tonight’s match was switched to Turf Moor last week. United fans can pay at the Bob Lord stand turnstiles (£4 adults, £2 concession).
The winner of tonight’s clash will meet Blackburn Rovers or Leyton Orient in the fifth round.
MUTV will screen all the action live from Turf Moor (kick-off 19:00 GMT).
United in Youth Cup action
The pursuit of FA Youth Cup glory continues this evening as United’s Under-18s travel north to take on Burnley at Turf Moor (kick-off 19:00 GMT).
For 16-year-old striker John Cofie (pictured), likely to be included in Paul McGuinness's travelling squad, it means a return to the club where he began his English football education. Cofie, a German-born Ghanaian striker, arrived at Old Trafford from Burnley in summer 2009.
Despite recent adverse weather conditions in Manchester, McGuinness told MUTV his side has enjoyed some quality preparation ahead of tonight's match.
"We missed our first league game of the year because of the weather but we’ve still been able to train because of the excellent facilities we have at Carrington," he said.
"We have a massive indoor gym and we’ve also played against the Reserves, which was really useful. That was a full-scale match on the pitch the first-team use, which has undersoil heating.
"When you play the Reserves you're up against bigger, stronger and faster opposition than you're used to. It’s a bit like sparring in boxing – when you prepare for a fight you train against bigger and quicker opponents. So it’s been really useful."
The U-18s boss says he expects a tough test against a Burnley side determined to cause an upset.
"Youth Cup ties are like a fight," he said. It’s a battle. Teams are fired up to play Manchester United and I think Burnley will be really pleased that such a big tie will be played at Turf Moor. I know the coaches at Burnley and they’re steeped in the history of the club. They’ll have their boys really fired up but also playing good football – that’s the tradition at Burnley and these guys will instil that into their team."
The Reds booked a spot in tonight's fourth round tie after goals from Paul Pogba and Nicky Ajose sunk Birmingham City 2-0 before Christmas. Originally scheduled to take place at Accrington Stanley’s ground, tonight’s match was switched to Turf Moor last week. United fans can pay at the Bob Lord stand turnstiles (£4 adults, £2 concession).
The winner of tonight’s clash will meet Blackburn Rovers or Leyton Orient in the fifth round.
MUTV will screen all the action live from Turf Moor (kick-off 19:00 GMT).
Ive heard King is fit for this and hopefully a few others too