Under 18's beaten

It was an unfamiliar Liverpool side that went down 1-0 at the Cliff. Most of the FA Youth Cup side were either away on international duty or were rested and John Owens played four of the under 16's side in this fixture to give them some experience.

"These guys should be with us full-time next year and they did very well. It was a good experience for them, to play against a footballing side like that," said the Academy coach.

"It was a close game, both sides had a few chances and Man Utd just edged it. I think both sides will be drastically different if we end up playing each other in the final. In our case, we've got another game this week so we always planned to pick two very mixed teams."