Manchester City’s academy director has praised the club’s Under-18s after a resounding victory in the FA Youth Cup semi-final.
Jason Wilcox’s young Blues booked their spot in the final after beating Leicester City 2-1 at the King Power Stadium on Wednesday, and 5-1 on aggregate.
And Mark Allen was quick to offer his congratulations.“It’s a fantastic achievement,” he told MCFC.com.
FA Youth Cup Final 2015
Manchester City v Chelsea
First leg: 20 April (Manchester)
Second leg: 27 April (London)
Both games live on ITV4
“We’re really pleased and proud of the boys because they have worked extremely hard.
“We set the target at the start of the season to get to the final, and it’s always pleasing when those targets are achieved.
“Full credit to the boys, they have been strong, focused and determined throughout the season to get to this stage of the competition and we can now look forward to the final.”
Goals on the night from Isaac Buckley-Ricketts and Brandon Barker added to Aaron Nemane’s brace and Denzeil Boadu’s strike in the first leg.
The victory sets up a repeat of the 2008 final, when a Manchester City side containing Daniel Sturridge prevailed and went on to lift the trophy following a 4-2 victory over their London rivals.
Brandon Barker celebrates after putting Man City 2-1 ahead on the night
In 2008 Manchester City won the second leg 3-1 in front of more than 19,000 fans at the City of Manchester Stadium.
And Allen said a similar turnout could be pivotal. “The fans can make all the difference,” he added.
“It was fantastic yesterday to see the fans who did travel and we recognise it can be very difficult for the supporters to attend these games especially with the first team matches coming thick and fast.
“But the City fans are very special – when they come down and give us that vocal support it really is like being the 12th man and makes a massive difference to the boys.”
“We’ve gone out with a very clear game plan which has allowed us to score a high number of goals”
Mark Allen Man City academy director
Fans who have followed Manchester City in the FA Youth Cup run have been treated to an impressive 22 goals in seven games to date.
And the academy boss believe it will be more of the same against the West Londoners in the final.
He added: “We like to play open and attacking football which I think has been evident throughout the academy over the last few years.
“In the Youth Cup, we’ve gone out with a very clear game plan which has allowed us to score a high number of goals and led to some really entertaining games for the fans to enjoy.”
The date for the first leg at the Academy Stadium Manchester has been set for Monday 20 April, with the return at Stamford Bridge scheduled for a week later on 27 April.
Ticket details are due to be announced shortly.
