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…
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…
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 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…
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…
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…
A relative back-up Chelsea Under-21 team earned a very pleasing point away to Aston Villa on Monday evening after a 1-1 draw at Villa Park. Alfie Crooks had given the hosts a first half lead but Milan Lalkovic’s penalty after the break earned a deserved share of the spoils, although it required a late penalty save from Jamal Blackman to preserve them. For the third game in succession, Dermot Drummy…
The games are coming thick and fast as the conclusion of the 2012-13 season gets ever closer, and for Chelsea’s ever-large batch of young loan stars, there is still a considerable amount to play for. For Thorgan Hazard and Zulte-Waregem, a chance of a first ever title for the small West Flanders club is very much within reach, and the younger brother of the supremely talented Eden has been doing…
Chelsea find themselves in a commanding position in the FA Youth Cup once again after winning the first leg of their Semi Final away to Liverpool by two goals to nil. A closely-fought encounter was settled at the very death as Alex Kiwomya continued his fine form in this season’s competition, scoring for the fourth game in succession and taking his tally to six in five outings with two strikes…
Here we go again then. For the fourth season in a row, Chelsea’s youth team are in the Semi Finals of the FA Youth Cup. They’ve lifted the trophy twice in that run, with a last four defeat to Manchester United sandwiched in between, and now face another trip to the North West of England to face Liverpool as they seek to become the first team to retain the title…