In the final edition of The Loan Report for this season, we’ll catch up with the remaining Chelsea loanees, most definitely headlined by a Europa League winner.

Thibaut Courtois turned 20 on Friday, two days after keeping his 21st clean sheet of the season in the biggest game of his career to date. Atlético Madrid defeated Athletic Bilbao 3-0 in Bucharest to lift a second European trophy in three years, and they did so deservedly.

The big Belgian certainly played his part, making a string of impressive saves throughout the match to preserve his team’s defensive perfection, whilst Falcao caused havoc at the other end.

You can see the highlights of the game here:

He returned to domestic action on Sunday no longer a teenager with Atlético’s hopes of qualifying for next season’s Champions League out of their hands, with Malaga firmly in the ascendancy.

Another Falcao goal ensured three points (which incidentally relegated Villarreal) but Malaga did their bit too, meaning Los Colchoneros finished fifth and will be defending their Europa League crown next season.

Elsewhere, the most notable outings of the week went to Tomas Kalas, who featured for Vitesse Arnhem in both legs of their Europa League Playoff Semi Finals against NEC Nijmegen.

NEC won a controversial home leg 3-2 in which Kalas had an up and down performance, but the Arnhem side won 2-0 on Sunday to set up a final showdown with RKC Waalwijk (again over two legs) for a place in next season’s European competition.

Patrick van Aanholt remained an unused substitute in both matches.

There was no playing time for Josh McEachran at Swansea in the final round of Premier League matches, nor was there for Gael Kakuta at Dijon in the penultimate matchday for Ligue Une. Kakuta has been left out of recent matches for reasons manager Patrice Carteron has not been thoroughly public with, although it’s understood that it’s less about Kakuta and more about the team attempting to stave off the threat of relegation.

Matej Delac’s Ceske Budejovice lost 3-0 to Sparta Praha with the Croatian no closer to action, but he reminded everyone of his existence this week with an interview to his national press.

He revealed that the decision to play in the Gambrinus Liga was suggested to him by Petr Cech, who considered his young protege to be more than capable of holding his own at that level.

As we well know now, Budejovice have decided against using Delac’s talents, a decision Cech is apparently baffled by. In any event, he will return to Chelsea in the summer before making a decision on where to play next season.

Finally, Ben Gordon signed off in Scotland with a 2-1 win for Kilmarnock away to Dunfermline, but it wouldn’t be a surprise to see him back at Rugby Park again next season on a permanent basis.

With only Kalas likely to be involved in action over the next seven days (Kakuta and Van Aanholt are unlikely to feature), this will be the last Loan Report of the season. It’s not the end of the coverage though, with a full section of the upcoming review of the season dedicated to those who have spent portions of the 11/12 campaign away from Stamford Bridge.

Chelsea won their second FA Youth Cup in three years despite a 1-0 defeat against Blackburn Rovers at Ewood Park on Wednesday night.

With a sizeable first leg lead in the bag the return fixture was always likely to be underwhelming and so it proved, with a solitary first half strike from Tim Payne decisive on the night, but not enough to turn the tie in Blackburn’s favour.

Both teams made changes from the first leg, with Blackburn deprived of Reece Hands and Osayamen Osawe through injury and choosing to rest Curtis Haley and Will Beesley ahead of Saturday’s academy league final at Fulham.

Adi Viveash was forced into a change of his own with Nathan Aké away on international duty with the Netherlands. Archange Nkumu was given the nod in his stead, and was joined at left back by Ali Gordon, who replaced Adam Nditi.

In terribly wet conditions on an Ewood Park pitch that has been soaked throughout the week (and seen Premier League action), both sets of players struggled to keep their footing in the opening stages and neither side were able to get the game under control.

Islam Feruz had an early glimpe of action as he looked to latch onto a through ball but quick work by Matthew Urwin in the home goal just about took the chance away from the Scottish Under-21 forward.

As expected, Blackburn were keen to exploit their physical advantage and regularly looked to play the long ball in over Todd Kane to big winger Brad Mason. Their first shot in anger came through John O’Sullivan, but his tame effort was easily gathered by Jamal Blackman.

A relatively even first twenty minutes was interrupted by a robust challenge on Amin Affane which left the Swedish winger struggling. He tried to run his knock off but was unable to, meaning an earlier than usual introduction for Youth Cup super-sub Alex Kiwomya.

Blackburn took the opportunity to seize the initiative and momentum and took the lead minutes later. The Blues conceded possession on the halfway line and watched as O’Sullivan carried the charge for Rovers, but the move only became threatening when Nkumu lost his footing on the edge of his own area.

O’Sullivan squared the ball across the face of goal, Hugo Fernandez left it, and Payne beat the crowd on the goalline to give his team a glimmer of hope in the tie.

That glimmer very nearly became a full crack of light five minutes later when Robbie Cotton found space down the inside right and shot only to see Kane scramble his effort off the line.

Kane had easily been Chelsea’s liveliest first half performer, and his marauding efforts on the right hand side began to stretch the home defence. Swift forced a save from Urwin and provided a pass for Kiwomya which the schoolboy wasted with a poor first touch before full-back Kane drew a save at the near post and then struck the outside of the woodwork in stoppage time.

Viveash reverted to familiar faces at the break, bringing Nditi on for Gordon in a bid to give his team some balance. Gordon had largely played in a defensive role to retain a compact shape but the Blues struggled to move the ball forward and looked predictable with their distribution.

The home side poured forward from the first kick of the second half but in doing so left wide open spaces at the back which was very nearly their undoing. Piazon put the ball on a plate for Kiwomya but once again, he struggled to get his body shape right and placed his attempt well wide of the far post.

Raheem Hanley missed a gilt-edged chance from no more than eight yards out before receiving the game’s first yellow card for a crude challenge on Kiwomya which probably warranted a red.

As the clock ticked towards the hour mark Nkumu became the second Chelsea player to succumb to injury having hurt his hamstring. Ruben Loftus-Cheek replaced him, meaning Nathaniel Chalobah dropped back into the back four.

Blackburn sent more and more bodies forward resulting in more than a few heart in mouth moments for Chelsea, but by hook or by crook they were able to get away with things.

With many of those around him struggling and playing some loose passes, Alex Davey was in the middle iof another excellent performance, showing composure and determination to shore things up at the back.

Curtis Haley and Danny Laverty were thrown on as coach Terry McPhillips went for broke in the final fifteen minutes but his team were clearly tiring and Chelsea’s greater fitness levels began to come into effect. Piazon and Nditi did well to create openings which weren’t taken, whilst Loftus-Cheek steered a volley towards goal which was deflected millimetres wide of the post.

Referee Lee Probert signalled the end of proceedings after four minutes of stoppage time to declare Chelsea FA Youth Cup winners for the second time in three years and fourth time in club history.

Nathaniel Chalobah lifted the trophy in front of a sizeable Chelsea contingent in the crowd to signal the end of another fantastic, engrossing youth season.

Chelsea: Blackman, Kane, Davey, Nkumu (Loftus-Cheek 60), Gordon (Nditi 45), Chalobah (c), Swift, Baker, Lucas Piazon, Affane (Kiwomya 28), Feruz
Subs not Used: Beeney, Nortey

Booked: Davey

A full review of the campaign at youth and reserve level covering every angle possible will be on TheChels.net throughout late May.

(Thanks to Ross Mooring for the photo)

Chelsea’s youth team take on Blackburn Rovers this evening at Ewood Park looking to secure a second FA Youth Cup crown in three years.

A 4-0 win in the first leg at Stamford Bridge just shy of three weeks ago makes the Blues overwhelming favourites to lift the trophy but everyone involved with the academy has been keen to avoid complacency, stressing that the tie is not over.

What they say in public and what they actually believe may well be two different things of course, and realistically nothing short of a catastrophe should prevent them from coming out on top, but football can and will throw up surprises of epic proportions.

Blackburn are certainly a capable side and showed that in the early stages of the first leg, when they threatened to take control of the tie. Strong and athletic, they built their game around the aerial prowess of centre-back Ryan Edwards and striker Curtis Haley and the speed and trickery of Osayamen Osawe and Raheem Hanley.

Fortunately for Chelsea, Jamal Blackman was on on form to keep Rovers at bay and once they settled and got a foothold in the game, their superior football took over.

First half goals from Nathaniel Chalobah and Lewis Baker were followed by a brace from Islam Feruz after the break to give the youngsters a lead they now take to Lancashire in hope of finishing the job.

Ten of the eleven are almost certain to retain their places, with the only change being an enforced one. Nathan Aké is currently away captaining the Netherlands Under-17 team in the European Championships in Slovenia, meaning Alex Davey will have a new partner at centre-back.

Manager Adi Viveash has a few options available to him. He could simply bring in second-year Archange Nkumu for what would be his final appearance in the competition, or he could move captain Chalobah back from midfield and add someone in alongside John Swift and Lewis Baker.

If Chalobah is to move back, schoolboy Ruben Loftus-Cheek could be the man to benefit. He started the season in excellent form, averaging a goal every other game before suffering a long-term hip problem which has sidelined him since December.

However, he has returned to match fitness and has travelled north with the squad and is an option to play.

The hosts, meanwhile, have something of a dilemma. They beat Newcastle on Saturday to line up a national Academy League Final against Fulham on Saturday, and they could well feel that their chances of winning that one-off fixture at Craven Cottage are greater than overturning a four-goal deficit.

Boss Terry McPhillips rested four of his starters at the weekend with tonight in mind but may opt to mix things up again and simply try to play for pride at Ewood Park and silverware at the weekend.

Whatever the line-ups, you can expect the hosts to start well, look to assert themselves on the game and attempt to make Chelsea nervous. If the Blues can see off the initial burst in front of what will be a healthy crowd, they should be able to get into the game and control it, hopefully culminating in a much-deserved celebration at full time.

The match is live and exclusive on Chelsea TV with a 7pm kickoff. If you can’t watch, and if you can’t be at Ewood Park (tickets on the door, £5 adults, £3 concessions), you can keep right up to date with events by following @chelseayouth on Twitter.

It’s not quite the end of the season but the Bank Holiday Weekend issue of The Loan Report will be the last extensive one of 2011-12, with featured players dwindling from here on out.

Kevin De Bruyne’s campaign ended prematurely last weekend through injury, whilst Milan Lalkovic’s was drawn to a close a few weeks earlier after an unsuccessful spell at ADO Den Haag.

Rhys Taylor, Sam Walker and Jeffrey Bruma all joined them this weekend and signed off what must be considered successful enough spells.

Bruma has been a part of a Hamburg team which has grafted hard to retain their place in the Bundesliga in recent weeks, and they affirmed that status with a game to go. The defender played another 90 minutes at right back and was booked, and will now depart on a short club break to Mallorca before going on summer holiday, having been omitted from the Dutch preliminary squad for Euro 2012. He is expected back in Hamburg next season in the second of a two-season loan spell.

Goalkeeper Taylor, meanwhile, may well be back at Rotherham next season, but if he does, it will be on a permanent basis. The Welsh stopper’s agent revealed that there are a number of football league clubs interested in his services and that he will look to move on this summer.

His final appearance of his spell at the Millers was also the club’s last game at Don Valley Stadium, and whilst he was restored to the team after a fortnight out, he was denied a final clean sheet by Adebayo Akinfenwa’s late header.

Fellow goalkeeper Walker completed his stay at Yeovil with a 2-0 loss away to playoff-bound Huddersfield Town and was beaten by two quality finishes on the day. He too could return to the club next season under manager Gary Johnson, who has already signed him twice in his brief professional career and made noises about wanting to do so a third time in 2012-13.

In the Netherlands, Tomas Kalas and Vitesse Arnhem completed their league schedule with a 3-1 defeat against Champions Ajax, but will now play off against NEC Nijmegen hoping for a place in the Europa League.

Patrick van Aanholt was an unused substitute but did feature alongside Kalas in Wednesday’s 2-2 draw at Utrecht.

Ulises Dávila has returned to Chelsea a few weeks early so that the club’s coaching staff can evaluate his progress before the summer holidays. The Mexican forward may be a part of the reserve team squad heading to Hong Kong this week to participate in the famous Soccer Sevens tournament.

Kalas, meanwhile, is close to agreeing a deal to remain in Arnhem next season, with all parties extremely satisfied with the way this season has gone.

Over in Den Haag, Kenneth Omeruo returned from suspension for ADO (after missing a midweek drubbing at PSV), who lost 5-3 to De Graafschap in their last outing of the year, having avoided being involved in the relegation playoffs.

In France, Gael Kakuta played 65 minutes on Thursday in a 2-0 defeat to Auxerre and looked much the same as he has done in recent weeks; tired, lethargic and low on ideas in a struggling team. In a bid to mix things up and stoke some fires to help his team avoid the drop, manager Patrice Carteron decided to leave Kakuta out of Monday’s squad which travelled to Lorient, but he should be involved in the final two games of the season.

Thibaut Courtois has had no such issues though, yet in the crucial weeks of the season has finally allowed one or two errors to creep into his game. A week after a costly rick against Betis, he and his defenders were all at sea against Real Sociedad in stoppage time and allowed Carlos Vela to score an equaliser which effectively ended their chances of Champions League football next season.

He bounced back well and played strongly against Malaga on Saturday to keep that dream alive mathematically with three huge saves, but their fate is out of their hands. The young Belgian will be desperate to finish a sensational season with a win in the Europa League Final.

In Scotland, Ben Gordon featured as usual against Aberdeen and also revealed this week – unsurprisingly so – that he would be keen to make his stay at Rugby Park a permanent one.

To finish up, Josh McEachran didn’t play again (he hasn’t even featured for their reserves) as Mark Gower was picked ahead of him for Swansea’s trip to Old Trafford, and Matej Delac did the same as usual for Ceske Budejovice against Viktoria Zizkov. Reece Loudon’s spell at Potters Bar Town appears to have now ended after seven appearances and two goals.

A mere handful of matches remain in the 2011-12 season, but for a few of Chelsea’s loanees, the campaign ended this weekend, and not in ideal circumstances.

After a recent patch of sensational form, Kevin De Bruyne suffered a broken toe on Saturday night and will play no further part in the playoffs for Genk, ending his career in Belgium.

The injury totally changed the match, with Genk eventually falling to a 4-0 home defeat against Anderlecht. De Bruyne will recuperate at home before talking to Chelsea about his future and next season. He has previously spoken about going on the pre-season tour to the United States, but has been the subject of loan interest for next season from the likes of Lille and Atlético Madrid.

In the Netherlands, a wild weekend for Kenneth Omeruo at ADO Den Haag will rule him out of at least one of the club’s two remaining games as the Nigerian found the back of the net at both ends and was dismissed for a pair of yellow cards.

One of the surprises of the loan season so far, Omeruo has been impressive at right-back for Den Haag but moved to centre-back this weekend as they travelled to VVV Venlo.

An early goal have the hosts a lead but ADO levelled when the Chelsea man stooped to nod in a corner from six yards out. It was his second goal since joining in January, having netted against Groningen earlier this month.

Three minutes later though, he headed a harmless free kick past team-mate Gino Coutinho to give VVV what would be a decisive lead. A wild night was capped when he received his second caution for a rash challenge and was duly dismissed.

You can see the highlights of that match HERE.

At the same time over in Arnhem, Tomas Kalas put in another good shift as Vitesse turned a 2-0 deficit at home to Excelsior into a 3-2 win with a last minute winner from Marco van Ginkel.

The Czech defender had a slow start to the game, as did many of the Vitesse players, but he picked his game up as he went on and they deserved their three points. Patrick van Aanholt and Ulises Dávila watched on as unused substitutes, but Dávila did feature for Jong Vitesse earlier in the week against Jong Utrecht.

Staying on the continent, Jeffrey Bruma’s penultimate game of the season with HSV saw a clean sheet and a point earned against Mainz which ensured Bundesliga survival. The Dutch international may only be filling in due to injuries but he has been part of a collective effort in recent weeks to grind out the results needed and the experience will certainly serve him well later in his career.

One player who certainly has a few more games left on the slate this season is Thibaut Courtois. The Belgian stopper will play in the Europa League Final after helping Atlético Madrid past Valencia, keeping a clean sheet at the Mestalla on Thursday night to ensure safe passage.

He made one or two excellent stops in a confident outing, but unfortunately followed it up against Betis on Sunday with a late error which cost his team a goal and with it two points that leave them as firm outsiders for the last Champions League spot in La Liga.

It was a rare mistake in an otherwise spectacular season and it appears that he will be returning to the Vicente Calderón stadium next season as Marca reported a deal has been struck between all parties for a relationship which has thus far been highly successful.

In France, Dijon and Gael Kakuta have four games remaining but despite the attacking midfielder being restored to the starting eleven this week, the Burgundy club lost again to keep them firmly in the relegation mire.

For Matej Delac, it really doesn’t matter how many games Ceske Budejovice have left, as he’s still the backup goalkeeper. They lost 4-0 to Slovan Liberec this week.

In Scotland, Ben Gordon and Kilmarnock were involved in a wild seven goal thriller against Inverness Caledonian Thistle but ended up on the winning team. Gordon was booked but otherwise played just as he has since returning to Rugby Park; entirely dependable and energetic from start to finish.

Josh McEachran wasn’t involved for Swansea in their absurd 4-4 draw with Wolves, despite the club being safe and having one final substitution unused. It appears unlikely that the midfielder will see any meaningful time before going on his summer holidays.

Sam Walker’s last game for Yeovil at Huish Park ended in victory as the Glovers beat Chesterfield 3-2 and condemned them to relegation. Walker’s final appearance for this season will come next weekend at Huddersfield, and he should get a decent send-off from the club’s supporters.

Rhys Taylor probably will as well, if he’s given the opportunity to. New Rotherham manager Steve Evans continued with Andy Warrington over the Welshman this weekend away to Aldershot, but Millers fans have generally taken well to the young Welsh ‘keeper, who has been one of their best players since the turn of the year.

Chelsea ended their 2011-12 reserve campaign with a whimper as they went down 4-1 to Manchester United at a rain-soaked Cobham on Monday afternoon.

Goals from Ryan Tunnicliffe, Larnell Cole, Will Keane and Richie De Laet secured an emphatic and deserved win for the Reds, who will play in the National Final against Aston Villa to determine who will de-throne Chelsea as champions.

The Blues looked a shadow of the side that went all the way last season and few did themselves justice. Patrick Bamford’s fourth goal in as many games was a meagre consolation at the end of a forgettable ninety minutes.

It was a strong starting line-up from Dermot Drummy, featuring three strikers in Bamford, Romelu Lukaku and Adam Phillip, whilst Cliffords Billy and Conor were joined in midfield by captain Nathaniel Chalobah, fresh from youth cup duty last Friday.

The visitors included many recognisable faces from last season’s FA Youth Cup clash and were in the ascendancy from the off, taking the lead inside ten minuets. Zeki Fryers initially benefitted from a lucky bounce to ride Todd Kane’s tackle and then when his cut-back seemingly went awry, Tunnicliffe was on hand to beat stand-in goalkeeper James Russell from the edge of the box.

Chelsea struggled to retain possession, displaying erratic passing and a lack of movement off the ball, and looked all at sea at the back as United probed seeking a bigger advantage. Nathan Aké’s last-ditch tackle to deny Davide Petrucci a clear sight of goal prevented a two-goal lead before the quarter hour mark had been reached.

Two wayward Lukaku efforts aside, it took twenty minutes before Sam Johnstone was even half worried, as Phillip did well to work a yard of space but dragged his effort the wrong side of the post.

Will Keane saw a header cleared off the line by Aziz Deen-Conteh before Tom Thorpe wasted an excellent opening by volleying straight at Russell as United stepped up a gear into complete domination.

A second deserved goal came when Jesse Lingard threaded a ball through to Larnell Cole, and despite hints of offside the winger tucked past Russell with ease.

Johnstone saved from Phillip as Chelsea mustered a first strike on target minutes before the break but their half time deficit was three as foward Keane got his goal in stoppage time, latching onto a weak header by Kane intended for Russell before rounding the stranded ‘keeper and beating Aké on the line.

If that was bad, the start to the second half was downright ridiculous as De Laet made it four within five minutes of the game’s resumption. He intercepted a poor pass by Conor Clifford on the halfway line and breezed past four blue shirts over a forty-yard distance before slotting into the bottom corner.

Drummy did not look amused at his midfield and quickly replaced both Cliffords with John Swift and Lewis Baker, stars of Friday’s excellent win over Blackburn. They joined Lucas Piazon, who had replaced Phillip at half time.

With six of the youth cup regulars now on the pitch, Chelsea began to move the ball about quicker and looked a more respectable outfit despite the reduction in age. Swift immediately got involved and drew a save from Johnstone moments after Piazon had seen an effort somehow cleared off the line by Thorpe.

United had clearly taken their foot off the gas with four goals to their name but showed that they could go through the gears at a moment’s notice and threaten at will. Keane’s close range header hit the crossbar and substitute Gyliano van Velzen drew a sharp save from Russell.

Bamford produced something to cheer about in the final minutes with a lovely low effort from the edge of the box to beat Johnstone. It was his fifth goal in a Chelsea shirt and 38th of the season after such an impressive campaign at Nottingham Forest.

It signalled a momentary burst in energy from the hosts, who went close through Swift, Lukaku and Chalobah, but the final word was once again United’s as Thorpe’s header hit the crossbar before the final whistle sounded.

A visibly disappointed and frustrated Drummy pulled few punches in his post-match assessment:

“They weren’t performing, simple as that. They were giving the ball away, they were sloppy, they were second to every ball, there was more urgency from the opposition. We’re playing Man Utd, and if it needs me to be on the sideline to shout to someone to put tackles in and run then we’ve got a problem.

To be fair [to Bamford], he’s played on the right when he’s a number nine, and I’ve played Lukaku number nine instead. Patrick, I think, could probably work a bit more off the ball; there’s another side to the game, we have to dig in, and I can’t say I’m really satisfied with anyone to be honest.”

The reserve team manager went on to explain what lies ahead in the short-term before the group disperses for the summer:

“The plan is to review the boys and plan for next season. They’ve got a tournament that we agreed to in Hong Kong, but the dynamics, you know, of the whole season…the boys moved out of the first team building, they’ve got to pick themselves up, they’ve got to understand that if you want to progress you’ve got to work hard and be prepared to take criticism. I think this year has been a massive learning curve for the reserve team group and where it sits at the club.”

Chelsea: Russell, Kane, Ince, Aké, Deen-Conteh, C.Clifford (Swift 52), B.Clifford (Baker 60), Chalobah (c), Phillip (Lucas Piazon 45), Bamford, Lukaku
Subs not Used: Mitchell Beeney, Nditi

Goals: Bamford 86

It’s been a much quieter week than usual on the loan front, with many of Chelsea’s youngsters at other clubs sitting on the sidelines for their most recent matches.

Of course, there’s a handful who are near ever-present, and chief amongst them is Thibaut Courtois, a name who has led us off on many a report this season. This week he started perhaps the most important match of his fledgling career to date as Atlético Madrid hosted Valencia in a Europa League Semi Final.

Atlético won the match 4-2, a result which leaves Valencia with a little hope ahead of the return leg at the Mestalla. They scored twice from set-pieces, with Courtois slipping on the turf for Ricardo Costa’s injury time header.

It was an unfortunate mishap, and one which Courtois has rather harshly blamed himself for, but it’s something of an indication of the exceptionally high standards he holds himself to. He otherwise had very little to do throughout the match, handling his duties immaculately.

A tough assignment followed on Sunday night against an in-form Espanyol team but another win followed with a brace from Arda Turan securing a 3-1 victory. Once again, it was a quiet outing for Courtois, who was beaten by the visitors’ only shot on target.

Another who has been enjoying a very fine run of late is Kevin De Bruyne. Courtois’ compatriot has been central to Genk’s excellent start to the top Belgian playoffs and they picked up another win on Sunday, coming back from 2-0 down to beat Standard Liege 3-2.

De Bruyne was less influential than in recent weeks, but that can largely be attributed to the fact Standard chose to man-mark him with Yoni Buyens, who did a sterling job.

In Germany, Jeffrey Bruma’s involvement in Hamburg’s weekend fixture at Nurnburg after picking up an injury in a midweek training session so high in intensity that manager Thorsten Fink had to abandon it for the safety of his players.

However, the Dutchman was able to take his place in the starting line-up – at right-back once again – and put in another solid shift as HSV won another point which edges them closer to safety with just two games to play.

In the Netherlands, Kenneth Omeruo was absent from ADO Den Haag action with a knee injury, meaning Tomas Kalas was the only Eredivisie loanee to play this week. He faced Heerenveen, who featured the division’s leading scorer Bas Dost, but the giant forward was held off the scoresheet as Vitesse earned themselves a solid point.

Vitesse technical director Ted van Leeuwen told Dutch media earlier this week that the club had struck a deal to keep Kalas at the Gelredome again next season, but nothing has been confirmed on that front just yet.

Patrick van Aaanholt was on the bench after a week away from the matchday squad but didn’t feature. He did line up alongside Ulises Dávila earlier on Monday night as Jong Vitesse lost a seven-goal thriller to Jong PSV.

Dávila was substituted after just half an hour as furious manager Gerry Hamstra looked to make changes after an appalling first half in which his side conceded four goals.

After a recent spell of indifferent form, Gael Kakuta found himself on the Dijon bench for the visit of Lille on Saturday, and although he saw half an hour of action in the second half, it was in desperation as Patrice Carteron’s side were 2-0 down and a man short after Abdoulaye Meite’s dismissal.

Kakuta told the French media earlier in the week that it is very much his intention to return to Chelsea in the summer and seek a place in the first team squad. You can read that interview here.

Completing our tour of mainland Europe, Matej Delac continues to serve as backup goalkeeper for Ceske Budejovice.

Back in the British Isles, Kilmarnock and Ben Gordon returned to action after a weekend off and secured an impressive 1-0 win away to Hibernian. It’s a certain fact that the best moments of Gordon’s career to date have come to Rugby Park and an interesting summer lies ahead for the young left-back.

Over the border, and Josh McEachran resumed his role as an unused Swansea City substitute, watching on as his teammates drew 1-1 away to Bolton. Playing time has been scarce for him, but both player and manager Brendan Rodgers have cited positives of the experience off the pitch. Undoubtedly though, all parties would have preferred to see the playmaker on the pitch a lot more.

Sam Walker and Yeovil are officially safe from relegation after a 2-2 draw at Leyton Orient on Saturday, with the big stopper performing as he has generally done since moving to Huish Park. He was beaten by a close range header and a mis-hit cross from the left which deflected and looped over his head into the top corner.

Rhys Taylor, however sat on the bench for Rotherham for the first time as new manager Steve Evans decided that he wanted to take a look at veteran goalkeeper Andy Warrington before the end of the season. With Warrington out of contract and Taylor’s loan spell ending, it made sense for the new man to take a look at all of his options whilst he can.

Finally, second year scholar Reece Loudon continues to impress at Potters Bar Town, scoring a deflected free kick in a midweek cup tie against Cuffley as his team won 5-2.

Chelsea hold a commanding advantage in the FA Youth Cup Final after an emphatic 4-0 first leg win on Friday night at Stamford Bridge.

A second-half brace from Islam Feruz followed first-half strikes from Nathaniel Chalobah and Islam Feruz as the Blues put themselves in the strongest of positions ahead of the return fixture next month.

Blackburn had their moments and chances but were unable to capitalise upon them and face a huge task if they are to somehow turn this tie on its head.

Chelsea, who were unchanged from both games against Manchester United in the previous round, have been notoriously slow starters in this competition in recent seasons and it was the case once again early on as Rovers seized the early initiative. Bigger and stronger in every area of the pitch, they sought to exert their influence and dominate the early going.

Despite goalkeeper Matthew Urwin being forced into the first save of the game to deny Todd Kane, they played much of the first quarter of an hour in Chelsea’s half, pressing the back four and limiting the distribution from the back. They were aided by a slick surface causing players to be less sure of their footing and touch, resulting in mistakes and loss of possession.

Nathan Aké slipped at a crucial moment and allowed the visitors to create a chance, but Jamal Blackman was on hand to deny Osamen Osawe with a brave stop. From the following corner, big captain Ryan Edwards knocked the ball down to Osawe, but he was once again unable to find the target.

Edwards has proven himself to be an excellent weapon from dead ball situations this season and he did so again, going close with another towering header which was cleared off the line and then away from Curtis Haley before he could prod it goalwards.

After camping in Chelsea’s box, the visitors will have felt especially aggrieved at finding themselves 1-0 down moments later. A slick Chelsea move saw Amin Affane cut back on the right wing to deliver a cross on his left foot which found the unmarked Chalobah.

The captain nodded into the far corner to score his sixth career Youth Cup goal.

He chanced his arm from long range moments later but Urwin was able to make a routine save to deny him adding to his impressive tally. Still, the momentum had shifted and it was the hosts making things happen.

Affane saw an effort cleared from the goalmouth when pouncing on a loose ball but whilst the youth team have struggled to capitalise on spells of dominance this season, they took full advantage here and doubled their lead in some style with half an hour played.

Kane made a typical surging run down the right and hooked the ball back into the box where it was gathered by Lucas Piazon. The Brazilian settled the ball before laying it off to Baker, who smashed a first-time effort high into the top corner from the edge of the box.

It may have been harsh on Blackburn but Chelsea had worked hard to get a footing in the game and were the stronger competitors. Feruz may have given up in the region of a foot in height to both centre-backs but was working twice as hard and repeatedly won posssession back with his dogged efforts.

Rovers felt they might have had a goal just before the break when Edwards’ header went close but the officials ruled that Blackman had clawed the ball to safety before it crossed the line.

They started the second half as strongly as they did the first, keen to make inroads into their deficit, but Blackman was in inspired form and once again denied Osawe any sight of goal.

Adi Viveash made an early but familiar switch in introducing Alex Kiwomya for Affane, perhaps keen to add a more direct threat on the break by utilising the schoolboy’s exceptional pace and fresh legs.

Almost immediately that approach was taken and was nearly rewarded; the substitute had an appeal for a penalty fall on deaf ears as a corner was awarded. From Baker’s delivery, John Swift arrived unmarked but was unable to steer his header on target.

They didn’t have to wait very long for another opportunity to come along, and when it did, they executed it with some style. Swift, Baker and Chalobah exchanged passes before the England Under-19 international delivered an inch-perfect through ball to Feruz, who finished it first time with an impudent flick under Urwin.

It encapsulated the fluidity within the Chelsea midfield as the nominally defensive Chalobah had advanced into a more creative position whilst Swift held a deeper position with Baker linking the two together. In a match where the Blues gave up much in the way of size, it was the creativity and balance in their midfield which was ultimately decisive.

The goal really looked like it broke Blackburn spirits and a fourth duly arrived ten minutes later. Piazon carried the charge with another run inside from the left, and once again it was Feruz who ran across his man and nudged the ball home despite being pulled to the ground.

The Scottish forward, who recently received a maiden Under-21 call-up, was withdrawn to a standing ovation and replaced by another schoolboy in Reece Mitchell for the final fifteen minutes or so.

Rovers left-back Will Beesley was one of very few in yellow who looked lively and keen to play on, and whilst his probing play occasionally threatened, it ended with a long range effort which sailed wide of Blackman’s goal.

Some sloppy play late in the game by Chelsea threatened to allow Blackburn a consolation but Blackman wasn’t to be beaten, denying Osawe twice more in the final minutes, whilst Kane looked to add his name to the scoresheet at the other end but saw his shot well saved by Urwin.

The scoreline mirrored that of the 2009-10 Semi Final when then manager Dermot Drummy led his charges into the Final after a 5-0 aggregate victory, and Chelsea now head to Ewood Park in 19 days with one hand on the trophy.

Chelsea: Blackman, Kane, Davey, Aké, Nditi, Chalobah (c), Swift, Baker, Affane (Kiwomya 52), Lucas Piazon, Feruz (Mitchell 75)
Subs not Used: Beeney, Gordon, Nkumu

Blackburn Rovers: Urwin, Wylie (Lenihan 60), Beesley, Edwards (c), Hands (Cotton 60), O’Connell, Hanley, Fernandez, O’Sullivan, Osawe, Haley (Payne 81)
Subs not Used: Dilo, Daly

Goals: Chalobah ’19, Baker ’27, Feruz ’58, ’68

Booked: Piazon, Feruz (CFC)

It’s a case of familiar territory in the Chelsea academy right now as, for the third consecutive season, the club’s junior ranks find themselves in a cup final.

The FA Youth Cup triumph of 2009-10 was followed by last year’s success in the Premier Reserve League, where the Blues overcame Blackburn Rovers at Stamford Bridge.

Rovers are once again the opposition this time around as the Youth Cup returns to centre stage. Chelsea host the first leg at Stamford Bridge this Friday night a week after besting Manchester United 3-2 on aggregate.

Lucas Piazon’s second-half strike proved enough to earn a deserved draw on the night and a successful path through their fourth Semi Final in five year to line up this week’s highly-anticipated clash with Blackburn.

It promises to be a tough pair of matches and should Chelsea get their hands back on the trophy, they will almost certainly have earned it. Whilst Blackburn aren’t the first club that would have come to mind when suggesting potential winners at the competition, it’s important to remember that the reputation of a club’s first team often precedes that of their youth sides, and unfairly so.

En route to beating Aston Villa two years ago, Chelsea beat Rovers over two legs at the Semi Final stage and did so fairly comprehensively, running out 5-0 winners.

Dermot Drummy’s side featured a couple of players who have gone on to become full internationals and others who are regulars in professional football already, but Blackburn included Grant Hanley and Jason Lowe amongst their ranks, two players who have been regularly involved in their battle against relegation this season.

Hanley is one of a number of recent centre-backs the Lancastrian club have produced in recent years, following in the expensive footsteps of Phil Jones. The latest name off that particular conveyor belt is Ryan Edwards, who, like his predecessors, captains the Under-18 team.

Edwards scored a decisive free-kick in the Semi Final against local rivals Burnley to set up a date with the Blues and is exactly what you might expect of such a player; tall, strong and powerful, and a natural leader who raises his game on the big occasion.

He also epitomises his team, who Blues coach Adi Viveash believes “are better than the team [Chelsea] beat in the run to the 09-10 Final” and are exceptionally well coached by Terry McPhillips and Tony Grant.

They opened their campaign with an 8-0 win over lowly Thurrock in the Third Round before beating Coventry and Stoke at Ewood Park. A first away trip took them to Newcastle where they won through on penalties, and then dealt with Burnley in the Semi Finals.

Striker Curtis Haley – one of three players to have scored double figures in goals this season – leads the club’s ranks in the Youth Cup with four goals, just one more than captain Edwards and playmaker Hugo Fernandez.

Tricky forward Osamen Osawe is the sole survivor from the Semi Finals two years ago and, like Haley, combines pace and skill with a handy touch in front of goal. Meanwhile, right-back Robbie Cotton has been involved with the England youth setup and is rated as one of the best prospects to ever come through the Rovers ranks.

They are an exceptional threat from set pieces, with Will Beesley’s delivery consistently good and a number of large targets to hit, but they have been prone to being opened up at the back by some of the better youth teams in their region and can definitely be attacked.

Chelsea, meanwhile, are pretty much a known entity at this stage. Viveash is almost certain to stick with the same team that started both legs against Man Utd and which has proven itself to be the strongest possible selection available.

Ruben Loftus-Cheek is the only player who might have threatened breaking up the team but he remains some way off match fitness, and may only come into the reckoning for the second leg at Ewood Park on May 9th.

Otherwise, Nathan Aké and Alex Davey will resume their impressive partnership at centre-back, with Todd Kane and Adam Nditi looking to build off strong performances last week outside them.

Nathaniel Chalobah, John Swift and Lewis Baker will do it all in the midfield, whilst the attacking triumvirate of Islam Feruz, Amin Affane and Piazon will hope to make a similar impact in the Final as they did in both legs of the Semis.

Each of them found the scoresheet and two were on hand to provide the goal for another. Piazon was Man of the Match last week and is in the form of his brief Chelsea career, having also netted in two recent reserve outings.

The Blues have shown spirit, resolve and desire to get to this stage and will have to draw on those qualities once again to get themselves over the line. It will, as usual, be a thoroughly fascinating and entertaining battle.

The first leg is, as mentioned, at Stamford Bridge this Friday evening. If you can’t make it to the ground, you can see it on Chelsea TV, or you can keep right up to date with affairs on Twitter by following @chelseayouth.

It’s an all-action end to the season on the loan front as a busy Easter period led straight into another packed schedule of action for Chelsea’s young professionals.

Games are increasing in importance and it’s always interesting to see how players handle the increase in pressure when the stakes are high. Belgian midfielder Kevin De Bruyne, for example is excelling just when his team need him the most.

With Genk involved in the top tier playoffs in the Belgian league, they’re facing top quality opposition every week in search of a Champions League place. Before their weekend trip to Anderlect, De Bruyne had been involved in twelve of their last sixteen goals (scoring two and creating ten), and he was integral again on Saturday night.

Genk won 3-1 at the Constant Vanden Stock Stadium, with De Bruyne pulling all the strings from his central midfield role. He laid on the first goal for Christian Benteke and was on a different level to anyone else on the pitch, earning a standing ovation from the home supporters when substituted in stoppage time.

You can watch highlights of the game HERE, although they’re unlikely to do justice to the most in-form player in the league at the moment.

Over in Germany, Jeffrey Bruma continued to deputise at right-back for Hamburg, who picked up another three points in their battle against relegation with a 1-0 win over Hannover.

Visiting boss Mirko Slomka looked to have his team exploit the young Dutchman, playing out of position, but Bruma held his own, and with diligent help from winger Ivo Ilicevic put together a strong performance to secure the clean sheet.

Bruma is amongst a number of versatile defenders on Chelsea’s books and on Sunday in the Netherlands, two more of them went head to head in Eredivisie action.

Vitesse’s Tomas Kalas and ADO Den Haag’s Kenneth Omeruo both started at the Gelredome in a match the hosts won 1-0, but it was Nigerian Omeruo who impressed the most. Still playing in a largely unfamiliar right-back role, he showed excellent defensive ability and looked to get forward as best he could, evoking comparisons to Branislav Ivanovic.

It came on the back of his first goal for the club in Thursday night’s 3-0 win over Groningen. He headed home from a second-half corner to endear himself to the home fans even further. You can see the goal HERE.

Kalas, meanwhile, had a less spectacular game by his own standards but he wasn’t poor by any stretch of the imagination, and it’s an indication of just how good he’s been this season that anything not up to his usual standards is noted. He did, of course, feature in Thursday’s win away to VVV Venlo.

Patrick van Aanholt was not involved in either match, whilst Milan Lalkovic has returned to England after his brief spell in Den Haag. There was no Jong Vitesse fixture this week, so no action for Ulises Dávila either.

Moving onto France, where Dijon and Gael Kakuta continue to struggle. After a brief spell of excellent form which coincided with Kakuta’s arrival in Burgundy, they are now three without a win and lost 1-0 at Sochaux on Sunday to leave them just a point clear of safety.

Opponents will doubtless have targeted Kakuta as the team’s most potent attacking threat and attempted to take him out of the game and that, coupled with his natural predisposition to drift in and out of games, has contributed to his recent inconsistency.

That said, he is still young and his loan spell has to be seen as a success overall given his brilliant beginning. Hopefully he can get back to his best for the crucial final few games.

Thibaut Courtois came up against Cristiano Ronaldo and the might of Real Madrid in midweek and picked the ball out of the net four times, but there was only one he could’ve done anything with as Jose Mourinho’s team ran roughshod over yet another La Liga opponent.

The Belgian was back to his best again on Sunday away to Rayo Vallecano, keeping his twentieth clean sheet of the season in a 1-0 win.

Back on domestic shores, Josh McEachran sat on the bench for a pair of Swansea matches which finished 3-0, firstly in defeat away to QPR before a weekend win over Blackburn.

The latter ended a recent winless run for the Swans but went a long way to ensuring Premier League survival which, once assured, should see Josh get some more minutes in the final couple of games.

In League One, Yeovil and Sam Walker were on the end of a 6-0 hiding at home to Stevenage on Saturday in a match impacted by an early red card to former Chelsea midfielder and current Glover Michael Woods.

Nobody came out of the match with any credit on the home front but Sam can hardly have been blamed for any of the goals directly, with the best anyone able to level at him being an uncertainty in dealing with crosses.

One step down in League Two, and there was also defeat for Rhys Taylor and Rotherham away to promotion-chasing Shrewsbury Town, who continued their unbeaten home record.

Rhys was beaten by two excellent strikes and was rounded for the other goal after his defence had gone missing, forcing him to come off his line. The defeat all but ends Rotherham’s slim playoff hopes.

Reece Loudon started his first game for Potters Bar Town, but they lost 1-0 away to Tilbury Town.

It was Scottish Cup weekend north of the border meaning no action for Kilmarnock and Ben Gordon, which just leaves Matej Delac to check in on. He continues to be a sub for Ceske Budejovice, as we’ve come to expect.