Just back ( youth edition )

Quoted from toontown

What's the furthest we've ever gone in this comp, anyone know?

I seem to remember from the depths of my memory that about 20 odd years ago we had a big youth cup game. Not sure of The round though. John oster, who was a star for the first team by then was allowed by the manager to play in it as he was still eligible and duly got himself sent off and was then suspended when we needed him for the first 11! Think we got beat as well. My memory could be totally wrong on all of this tho!

Anyone else remember anything vaguely like this or am I making it all up?!?!

Apparently it’s the Quarter Final this is the furthest other than that season.

Defensive masterclass, sat in low block let them have the ball and they couldn’t break us down, could break through midfield force them wide or to play long which either run out or the defence dealt with it.

Last night was only the third round so a long way to go and lots of teams still in the competition, well done to the lads last night!

Great performance from the young Mariners. Well worth the trip over.

Well-deserved win and the reaction of the bench said it all when they scored as they raced onto the pitch. A good goal.

The Forest number nine went down late on to try for a penalty to earn his second yellow.

As someone else has said, it wasn't a matter of outstanding individual performances but a superb team effort who wore Forest down. Plenty of their players were going down with cramp.

I see quite a lot of U18 and U21 football out and about and it was good to see an open game because too many contests seem to be about teams cancelling each other out.

UTM!

Quoted from LocalLadGTFC

I think this could well end up being our best set of youth lads we’ve ever had. Put this result into perspective, Forest beat Man City youth last month

Big call that especially when you think of the late 70s squads and the likes of Donovan, Drinkell, Mawer, Ford, Kev & Dave Moore.

However at this point in time last night was a great result, is this now the furthest the club has got in the Youth cup I wonder?

Quoted from toontown

What's the furthest we've ever gone in this comp, anyone know?

I seem to remember from the depths of my memory that about 20 odd years ago we had a big youth cup game. Not sure of The round though. John oster, who was a star for the first team by then was allowed by the manager to play in it as he was still eligible and duly got himself sent off and was then suspended when we needed him for the first 11! Think we got beat as well. My memory could be totally wrong on all of this tho!

Anyone else remember anything vaguely like this or am I making it all up?!?!

No, you definitely remember it right. I just can't remember the opponent but Arsenal seems to be popping into my mind.  

Bizarre when you think about it that we were in a relegation scrap and we allowed one of our best players, if not the best, to play in a youth game.

Huge achievement for the young lads and indeed everyone around the set-up.  Especially when you consider a lot of the Forest lads will be almost two years older than a lot of ours.

Woods has come close a few times to cracking it and getting a real stream of players into the first team.  Couple of years before he got the big job we had North, Bore and Taylor who came in having gone through the ranks with Hegarty and Bennett also joining as 16-year-olds.  Pretty sure there's going to be a game or two with all 5 playing, which is one hell of an achievement really.

That task has got even harder in the last 10/15 years though with anyone with talent getting picked up at a very young age.  I think it's also credit to the club that despite the 2021 relegation we maintained with the youth set-up and held our nerve effectively (despite funding reductions), you only have to look at how Scunthorpe approached their youth system in non-league to see what can happen.

Loads and loads of these lads have so much potential and ability, I just hope the increased spotlight on them doesn't see them get picked off for a pittance.  I too wonder if we might end up offering a few more early pro deals to keep the wolves at bay, although a lot of these lads are 1st Year YT's, very early in their careers to be doing so.

98-99 season we played Arsenal in the 3rd round.  93-94 we got as far as the last 16 before losing to Bradford City in a replay

Some great knowledge there bedders!  Was it 0-5 against Arsenal?  Seem to remember them schooling us a bit.

Can you shed any light on the Oster game?  Can't believe two of us would have imagined it.

Quoted from HertsGTFC

Big call that especially when you think of the late 70s squads and the likes of Donovan, Drinkell, Mawer, Ford, Kev & Dave Moore.

However at this point in time last night was a great result, is this now the furthest the club has got in the Youth cup I wonder?

I believe we've reached the quarters before, in recent times I remember the team that included Danny North, Andy Taylor etc getting to like the 4th round vs Newcastle. I believe they won some silverware aswell as I remember them doing a lap of BP with a trophy.. possibly the Youth Alliance or the league cup?

Quoted from diehardmariner

No, you definitely remember it right. I just can't remember the opponent but Arsenal seems to be popping into my mind.  

Bizarre when you think about it that we were in a relegation scrap and we allowed one of our best players, if not the best, to play in a youth game.

Huge achievement for the young lads and indeed everyone around the set-up.  Especially when you consider a lot of the Forest lads will be almost two years older than a lot of ours.

Woods has come close a few times to cracking it and getting a real stream of players into the first team.  Couple of years before he got the big job we had North, Bore and Taylor who came in having gone through the ranks with Hegarty and Bennett also joining as 16-year-olds.  Pretty sure there's going to be a game or two with all 5 playing, which is one hell of an achievement really.

That task has got even harder in the last 10/15 years though with anyone with talent getting picked up at a very young age.  I think it's also credit to the club that despite the 2021 relegation we maintained with the youth set-up and held our nerve effectively (despite funding reductions), you only have to look at how Scunthorpe approached their youth system in non-league to see what can happen.

Loads and loads of these lads have so much potential and ability, I just hope the increased spotlight on them doesn't see them get picked off for a pittance.  I too wonder if we might end up offering a few more early pro deals to keep the wolves at bay, although a lot of these lads are 1st Year YT's, very early in their careers to be doing so.

NW is certainly doing a great job with the youth squad and seems to have found his true vocation. It must be added that he can only work with the players at his disposal. It must be very hard to attract young lads to join our youth programme when you have much larger clubs circling around and " hoovering up " any player that exhibits any kind of potential. I love my club and town but I can understand a young lads head being turned by even clubs like the Sheffield two, Notts Forest or Leeds - all of whom are not too far away.