AZ Gull
@SeagullsAcademy @seagullsacademy.bsky.social
Albion U-18s begin their FA Youth Cup campaign on Monday evening as they travel to Newcastle United in a tough 3rd round fixture. The FA Youth Cup is the most prestigious U-18 competition. One of the main purposes when the competition was first introduced was to give youngsters the experience of playing at the main ground of clubs; unfortunately in this modern world Premier League clubs seem loath to make their stadia available, so this tie will take place at Whitley Park rather than St James' Park.
It will be very interesting to see if Freddie Simmonds and Harry Howell are brought into the squad for this match (they are young enough that they are eligible not just in 2024-25 but next season as well). Their absence from the U-21s on Saturday suggests they may well be involved (clubs typically field their strongest line-ups in this competition).
The U-18s had a decent start to the season, unbeaten in their first 7 league matches, but a 6-5 home defeat to Derby County in the U-18 PL Cup was a shocker. However, their form has tailed off and they haven't won any of their last 5 league matches - they've actually lost the last 3 without scoring a goal, most recently to Palace last weekend.
It will be very interesting to see if Freddie Simmonds and Harry Howell are brought into the squad for this match (they are young enough that they are eligible not just in 2024-25 but next season as well). Their absence from the U-21s on Saturday suggests they may well be involved (clubs typically field their strongest line-ups in this competition).
The U-18s had a decent start to the season, unbeaten in their first 7 league matches, but a 6-5 home defeat to Derby County in the U-18 PL Cup was a shocker. However, their form has tailed off and they haven't won any of their last 5 league matches - they've actually lost the last 3 without scoring a goal, most recently to Palace last weekend.
