At 3pm this Monday, 22 young players will take to the hallowed turf of Villa Park for the FA Youth Cup final : the most prestigious competition in English youth football, open to under-18 teams affiliated with the FA. This year’s showdown sees Aston Villa’s academy side take on Manchester City’s rising stars, with both clubs chasing a fifth title in the tournament’s history. Villa last lifted the trophy in 2021 with a 2-1 win over Liverpool, while City are the defending champions after last year’s emphatic 4-0 victory over Leeds United.
This clash between two of the country’s most highly regarded academies is the culmination of an outstanding cup run for both sides. City, under the guidance of Oliver Reiss, have swept all before them, racking up 19 goals and conceding just twice with wins over Crystal Palace (1-0), Millwall (5-1), Leeds United (6-1), West Bromwich Albion (6-0), and Watford (1-0). Already crowned champions of the U18 Premier League North, they now have their sights firmly set on a historic league-and-cup double.
On the other side, Jimmy Shan’s Aston Villa youngsters have impressed with a similarly strong campaign: a 6-0 demolition of Accrington, a 4-0 rout against Newcastle, and a dramatic 3-2 comeback over Bristol thanks to a late Mason Cotcher hat-trick. A 3-0 win over Plymouth followed, before they held their nerve in a penalty shoot-out to knock out Manchester United in the semi-finals. The FA Youth Cup remains a proven stage for emerging stars, and this final will shine a spotlight on talents like Cotcher and Jamaldeen Jimoh-Aloba for Villa, as well as City prospects Reigan Heskey and Divine Mukasa.
Starting line-ups :
Aston Villa :
Sam Proctor
Rodrigo Fortes
TJ Carroll
Leon Routh
Triston Rowe
George Hemmings
Aidan Borland
Bradley Burrowes
Cole Brannigan
Jamaldeen Jimoh-Aloba
Mason Cotcher
Manchester City :
Oliver Whatmuff
Kaden Braithwaite
Stephen Mfuni
Kian Noble
Harrison Parker
Harrison Miles
Finlay Gorman
Christian Dunbar-McDonald
Reigan Heskey
Divine Mukasa
Matthew Warhurst
