Peterborough United U18 v Manchester United U18

Manchester United Under 18s v Posh Under 18s

The Posh Under 18s have a mouth-watering FA Youth Cup third round tie on Tuesday night with a trip to Old Trafford (7pm).

The Peterborough United Under 18s make the trip to Old Trafford to face Manchester United Under 18s in the third round of the FA Youth Cup on Tuesday evening (7pm).

Jimmy Unwin's men made it through to this stage of the competition after home wins over Boldmere St Michaels and Lincoln City and will get the chance to face one of the best Academies in the world.

TEAM NEWS

Posh are without the services of Milan Kovaci due to injury, but Unwin has reported no fresh injury worries with a number of players back in the squad after a combination of illness and injury.

MANAGER QUOTES

"It is a brilliant opportunity for the players to go to such an iconic stadium and face one of the best Under 18 sides in the world and we are all looking forward to the challenge. It is funny, all those with any knocks or sniffles have declared themselves fit! In all seriousness, it is going to be a tough selection. They have a lot of talented players, but so do we, we know it is going to be tough, but we also have a lot of faith in our players. Hopefully we can go there and play our football," Jimmy Unwin said.

TICKET DETAILS

The fixture with the Red Devils will take place on Tuesday 9th December (7pm) with tickets priced at £10 for adults and £5 for Under 16s.

The first team are in action that evening at Reading, but unfortunately no other date with the prospect of playing at Old Trafford was available for the youngsters.

Tickets are on sale here.

UPDATES

Updates will be available on the club's Academy page, which can be found here

Posh Youngsters Win Praise Despite Narrow Defeat To Red Devils

Posh Under 18s bow out of the FA Youth Cup after tremendous display of courage and discipline at Old Trafford.

Peterborough United Under 18s fell to a narrow 1–0 defeat against Manchester United U18 at Old Trafford in the third round of the FA Youth Cup. Despite the result, the young Posh side produced a composed and disciplined performance on the big stage, showing impressive organisation and resilience throughout the evening.

Both sides began with intensity, trading possession in a competitive midfield battle. Manchester United broke the deadlock in the 22nd minute, but the Posh quickly regained their structure and continued to defend with focus. Christoudias produced an important defensive intervention inside the box on 26 minutes to prevent further damage.

The Posh’s determination was highlighted again in the 31st minute when Mendonca and Arber threw themselves in front of multiple dangerous efforts, with goalkeeper Westcott making a crucial final save to deny the hosts. Deep into first-half stoppage time, Mendonca executed a superb sliding tackle to halt a threatening counter-attack, ensuring the Posh went into the break trailing by just a single goal.

The second half saw the Posh continue to push with organisation and belief. Christoudias threatened from a free-kick on 50 minutes, before McWilliams-Marcano drove forward brilliantly to draw a booking from the United defence. Westcott then produced another standout save on 57 minutes to keep the side firmly in the contest.

Sykut came closest to equalising in the 66th minute, cutting inside from the left to unleash the Posh’s most dangerous effort of the match, only to be denied by a strong save. Moments later, Fox also tested the goalkeeper but was unable to find the breakthrough. Substitutions in the 72nd, 80th and 90+2nd minutes injected fresh energy into the side, yet the decisive chance remained elusive as the Posh continued to fight until the final whistle.

Although the Posh exit the FA Youth Cup, the performance at Old Trafford offered valuable experience and demonstrated the strong potential within the group.

After the match, Under 18 Lead Coach Jimmy Unwin praised his team’s commitment: "I am incredibly proud of the concentration and attitude the players showed today. They competed bravely against a strong opponent on a big stage, and there were many positive elements in our performance. The result is disappointing, but this experience will be hugely beneficial for their development. We’ll continue to build on this with the same focus and energy.”

Posh: Westcott, Bushell (sub Ndonjang 80 min), Joseph, Christoudias (sub Crozier 72 min), Mendonca, Arber, McWilliams-Marcano, Fox (sub Aikins 90+2 min), Shofowoke, Sykut, Mlityalwa. Unused Subs: Sammour, Norville, Ndonjang, Simmons, Sudakaran