The stage is set for Wednesday’s Professional Development League Cup Final at the LNER Community Stadium (7pm) with Sheffield United the task at hand.
Peterborough United Under 18s will hope to be the competition’s winners for the second time in three years when they go up against league rivals Sheffield United at the LNER Community Stadium.
The two sides will face each other for a third time this term, with United coming out on top in the previous two encounters.
But, with a strong track record in the competition, our youngsters will be buoyed by their campaign to date, having scored 17 goals across the stretch – remaining undefeated.
The Blades have been a mixed bag of form in recent weeks, winning once in their last five as Alfie Hough and Archie Christie-Crainie were on target against Charlton Athletic.
TEAM NEWS
Jimmy Unwin has confirmed his side are light on the ground, having ran into injury problems, with Patryk Sykut the latest to miss out with an ankle problem.
THE OPPOSITION
Sheffield United have had an impressive campaign, sitting fourth in the northern section having picked up 50 points from 30 league matches. Jim O’Brien’s young Blades have seen 15 victories, five draws, and ten defeats over the course of the term, all while enjoying a strong tournament. United were Group D pace setters, winning three from three against Preston North End, Burnley and Wigan Athletic, before advancing into the knockout phases where they recorded success over Brentford and Colchester United to book their spot in the final.
ROUTE TO THE FINAL
A journey which started in August, Jimmy Unwin’s side qualified for the knockout stages as group winners, having defeated Ipswich Town and Luton Town, adding to the point already under their belt from the draw with Mansfield Town.
Next in line was Swindon Town, as the two sides battled for a place in the final four, where our youngsters ran out 4-2 winners before defeating Cheltenham Town 6-1 in the semi-final.
Bolu Shofowoke – who came on as a substitute for Darren Ferguson’s side in Saturday’s 1-1 draw with Bolton Wanderers – is amongst the competition’s leading scorers, having scored back-to-back hat-tricks in the knockout phases.
FROM THE MANAGER
Professional Development Phase (Under 18s) Lead Coach Jimmy Unwin said ahead of the game: “It should be a good occasion for the boys, and it will hopefully be a good way to see out the season, but we need to make sure the boys put on a performance on the night. There’s been loads of good things to come from the season, but the main thing is that the boys have played lots of minutes, so they need to go out there, empty the tank, and give a good version of themselves on the night."
UPDATES
Updates of the game will be available on The Posh Academy X account, with post-match reaction following in due course.
VENUE AND TICKETING DETAILS
The fixture will take place at the LNER Community Stadium, York (7pm). Admission is free, and you can turn up on the gate via turnstiles 1-6.
TRAVEL GUIDE
LNER Community Stadium (York City), YO32 9AF. Parking has been made available at the Park & Ride Car Park; this will be free of charge.
The journey along the A1 is expected to take approximately two-and-a-half hours from the PE2 postcode, while the London North Eastern Railway line will take upwards of an hour - please note that the station stands 3.3 miles from the stadium.
