Chelsea’s Under-18 team finished their 2012-13 league campaign on Friday with a 3-1 win over Crystal Palace at Cobham featuring goals from Dominic Solanke, Connor Hunte and Walter Figueira. With the second leg of the FA Youth Cup Final against Norwich City looming large on Monday, it was a heavily-changed team selected by Andy Myers, deputising for Adi Viveash, and featured a smattering of schoolboy talent alongside five players who…
Barcelona Youngster Josimar Talks About Chelsea Move
It would appear that Chelsea’s youth team ranks for the 2012-13 season are set to swell by one more at least, with news that Ecuadorian full-back/winger Josimar Quintero is to move from Barcelona to London this summer. In an interview with ECUAGOL, the 16 year-old spoke candidly about his future and the excitement of moving to the Blues. Ecuagol claim that he will make his final appearances in the famous…
The Loan Report: April 29 – May 5
When deciding upon headline acts for the weekly Loan Report, deference usually goes to those who produce on the pitch, be it goals, assists, or clean sheets. Therefore this week, despite the stakes being considerably higher for other young Blues, we lead off with Kevin De Bruyne. The Belgian international grabbed his seventh goal of the season for a troubled Werder Bremen team on Saturday, netting midway through the second…
Under-18s: Chelsea 0-3 Reading
Chelsea’s Under-18s succumbed to a talented Reading side on Saturday morning, losing 3-0 despite playing well for good spells and missing a host of chances. A late first half goal by forward Craig Tanner gave the Royals a narrow lead, one which was doubled early in the second half by full back Shaun Long. Tanner’s second put the icing on the cake as Eamonn Dolan’s boys racked up a tenth…
FA Youth Cup: Norwich City 1-0 Chelsea (Final First Leg)
Norwich City edged the first leg of the 2012-13 FA Youth Cup Final courtesy of a last-gasp penalty in a pulsating opening game in front of more than 21,000 fans at Carrow Road. Both teams spurned a series of good chances throughout the night before former Chelsea schoolboy Cameron McGeehan converted a 94th minute spot kick after Josh Murphy had been fouled by Alex Davey. With Adam Nditi and Andreas…
FA Youth Cup: Previewing the Final
Appearing in a third FA Youth Cup Final in four years is no mean feat in the modern era of football, but it’s something Chelsea will be doing this week as they prepare to take on Norwich City in the first leg of this year’s deciding tie. The Blues are seeking to be the first team since Liverpool to successfully retain the most prestigious junior age group trophy in the…
The Loan Report: April 22-28
Another dramatic weekend of loanee action – particularly in England – saw some young Chelsea players draw their 2012-13 campaign to a close, whilst others have one very big game to come next weekend with very, very high stakes. It’s appropriate this week to begin with Nathaniel Chalobah, who scored what can only be described as a goal of the season candidate for Watford on Friday night in a 2-1…
The Loan Report: April 15-21
The final rounds of fixtures are closing in fast, nowhere moreso than in England, and with the finish line in sight, this week’s Loan Report saw a number of Chelsea loanees square off against each other. In League One, Patrick Bamford and the MK Dons headed east to take on Sam Walker, Billy Clifford, and Colchester United on Tuesday night, with three points imperative for both sides at either end…
Under-18s: Chelsea 1-0 Fulham
Chelsea upset the Under-18 league form book and ended a run of six straight league defeats on Saturday morning with a 1-0 win over table-topping Fulham. A first goal at this level for schoolboy Dominic Solanke ensured a much-changed Blues side took all three points for the first time in two months, and they were fair value for the victory. Joe Edwards took charge of the team in Adi Viveash’s…
FA Youth Cup: Chelsea 2-1 Liverpool (4-1 agg)
Chelsea’s young stars reached a third FA Youth Cup Finals in four years and kept alive hopes of being the first team to retain the trophy in half a decade after beating Liverpool 2-1 at Stamford Bridge, a result which secured a 4-1 aggregate victory. Having won 2-0 at Anfield last Friday, the Blues entered the second leg in a commanding position but were given food for thought early on…