Youth & Reserves

The first half of the Under-18 season in England may have wound down in the final weeks before Christmas, but Chelsea’s youngsters have found time for three matches in seven days to end a highly successful calendar year and to look forward to an even better 2013. Friendly draws against Cardiff City and Ipswich Town book-ended the week, with a goalless stalemate against Ajax in the Next Generation Series sandwiched…

Chelsea’s Under-21 team went into Monday night’s Barclays Under-21 Premier League schedule with their eyes set firmly on a place in the Elite Group Stage after Christmas. They held up their end of the bargain in beating Middlesbrough 3-2, but events elsewhere conspired against them as Wolves beat Manchester City 2-1 to take second place and leave the Blues hoping for even more help if they are to make it…

Chelsea began the defence of their FA Youth Cup crown on Saturday afternoon with an entertaining, if sometimes ragged, win away to Colchester United.  Islam Feruz’s early opener was followed by a Lewis Baker double, and that proved enough to secure a 3-2 win. The margin of victory might have been greater if not for some poor finishing, but just as equally, they were made to work very hard for…

Chelsea’s defence of the FA Youth Cup begins this Saturday lunchtime away to Colchester United, and the Blues enter this year’s competition with perhaps more expectation on them to succeed than ever before. Not only are the Blues the current holders, but they also come into the fixture as the only unbeaten team in Professional Development League Under-18 football, with nine wins and two draws from their eleven fixtures so…

On the final day of transfer activity for English football league clubs until the new year, three Chelsea youngsters departed on lower league loans, whilst a fourth will spend the rest of his season back at home overseas. Conor Clifford has joined League One outfit Crawley Town, his second spell in the division after a month at Portsmouth earlier this season, whilst Todd Kane and Patrick Bamford join him in…

It was a dramatic Sunday afternoon in the North West for Chelsea’s Under-21s as St Helens’ Langtree Park stadium played host to a six-goal thriller against Liverpool. Goals from Michael Ngoo, Jack Robinson and Kristian Adorjan appeared to have consigned the Blues to defeat but a Jeremie Boga-inspired comeback saw them turn the game on its head in the second half and take a share of the spoils in a…