Young Blues At Home In FA Youth Cup

FA Youth Cup

After reaching the third round of the competition last season, before going down 1-0 at home to Academy side Stoke City, Carlisle boss Eric Kinder will no doubt be hoping to reach that stage again and pull out an even bigger Premier League team in order to reproduce the heroics of the 2-1 win away to Manchester United in January 2008.

First though there is non-league opposition to get past, with it looking likely to be Wrexham who play in United's North-West Conference of the Youth Alliance League. The Red Dragons currently sitting second bottom in the table as, like Carlisle, they continue to search for their first league win of the season, the Welshmen so far having drawn three and lost two of their five games played to date.

If there is a surprise in next Monday's Third Qualifying Round tie though then the Cumbrians will face a Hallam under-19s side that compete in the North Midlands under-19 Football League Division One. The Sheffield-based club currently sitting mid-table in that division having played only a handful of games due to League Cup and FA Youth Cup involvement.

As far as that goes Hallam have made it through three rounds so far, as they first won 2-0 at Nostell Miners Welfare in the preliminary round before defeating Stocksbridge Park Steels 4-2 at home in the first qualifying round. Their latest victims being another local outfit, in Maltby Main, who they beat 2-1 at home at the second qualifying round stage.

Wrexham meanwhile have won 2-0 at AFC Liverpool, 9-0 at home to Ashton Town and then 9-0 again, this time at home to Warrington Town to make it to the first round proper draw. So, they are favourites to make it to Brunton Park with the competition still very much regionalised at this stage, the full draw being as follows :



FA Youth Cup First Round Draw

Crewe Alexandra v Wakefield or AFC Fylde
Bradford City v Rochdale
Hartlepool United v Whitley Bay or Staveley Miners Welfare
Carlisle United v Hallam or Wrexham
Stockport County v Tranmere Rovers
Macclesfield Town v Nantwich or Fleetwood Town
Accrington Stanley v Darlington or Mossley AFC
Bury v Oldham Athletic

Rotherham United v Sheffield Wednesday
Huddersfield Town v Morecambe
Histon or Yaxley v Notts County
Bolehall Swifts or Romulus v Northampton Town
Chesterfield v Port Vale
Grimsby Town or Kidderminster Harriers v Stourbridge or Garforth Town
Burton Albion v Lincoln United or Stratford Town
Lincoln City v Peterborough United

Shrewsbury Town v Barwell or Boston United
Milton Keynes Dons v Walsall
Coventry Sphinx or Mickleover Sports v Hereford United