Mark Robinson has already witnessed the strength of Ebbsfleet United’s Under-18s team and is wary his AFC Wimbledon side could become victims of an upset in Thursday’s FA Youth Cup second round tie.
Robinson, who is head of coaching at the Dons’ academy, watched on as Fleet beat Gillingham 2-1 in the previous round and was joined in the Priestfield Stadium crowd by more than a dozen of Ebbsfleet’s first-team players.
It has been a superb campaign for the club so far, with the first team top of the National League South table and the U18s unbeaten in the Football Conference Youth Alliance Division B.
AFC Wimbledon v Ebbsfleet United
The FA Youth Cup
7pm, Thursday 26 November 2015
Cherry Reds Record Stadium, AFC Wimbledon
Click here for fixtures
By Frank Smith
And, with Thursday’s winners set to play Watford in the third round, Robinson knows his team will face stiff competition.
"It is quite clear that Ebbsfleet are a club that feel they are going places," he said.
"I watched the U18s against Gillingham and almost the whole of the first-team squad were there watching and everyone was really positive about the young lads.
"There is a real positive vibe around the whole club and it is certainly a potential banana skin for us."
AFC Wimbledon are another club who place real emphasis on their youth development and Robinson has been an integral part of the development of the academy during his decade with the side.
Last season the Dons handed debuts to Dan Gallagher, Ben Harrison, Egli Kaja and Republic of Ireland Under-19 international Ryan Sweeney while they were still youth players.
Sixteen-year-old Paul Kalambayi trains regularly with Neal Ardley’s first team and the club also sold the talented Daniel Agyei to Championship side Burnley in the summer.
And Robinson added: "We are a fan-owned club that does not have a sugar daddy – and never will because of the way the club are run – so it is imperative that we produce our own players and it is a massive remit for me to produce players for the first team.
"So The FA Youth Cup is a crucial part of their development and it is about seeing how they deal with that added pressure. We have certain things we expect them to do and certain ways of playing and you want to see that carried into a game of this stature.
"Also knowing the winner faces a trip to Watford in the next round adds that extra bit of pressure, so we want to see how they deal with the occasion."
Ebbsfleet’s Daryl McMahon has spent most of the last two years at the club as a player, captain, head of the academy and caretaker manager.
He retained his role as academy boss when he went to play for Boreham Wood in January but returned in April when he was appointed first-team manager.
McMahon is in charge of both the first team and the academy, where he is helped by Gerard Prenderville.
"With my two roles, I have a huge interest in how the young players do and so do the first team, which is really great for the club because it keeps everyone together,” said McMahon.
"I have helped to recruit every player in the academy and with my two roles it means they have a direct route into the first team. But we already have some terrific players in the first team – which is evident by the fact we are top of the league – so it is down to the academy players to use games like those in The FA Youth Cup to try to force their way in.
"We have a decent group here and they have performed throughout the season so we are confident going into the game with AFC Wimbledon and we are looking forward to it."
