Posh U18s face The Railwaymen on Saturday afternoon.
Peterborough United U18s return to Professional Development League action on Saturday afternoon (12pm) as they face Crewe Alexandra U18s at the idverde Training Ground, just nine days after the two sides met in the first round of the FA Youth Cup.
The under 18s were beaten on penalties by The Railwaymen following a 1-1 draw in the 120 minutes, with Posh down to 10-men in the closing stages of the second half and throughout the whole of extra-time.
Jimmy Unwin, who was appointed the U18s Lead Coach at the beginning of the month, praised a good week’s work with his squad leading up to the league fixture against The Railwaymen.
Unwin said: “It has been good preparation. The players have been really receptive and got over losing in the FA Youth Cup, but it has been a good week for the team and some extra bodies on the grass.
“Obviously what happened the last two sides met will bring a little bit to the game, but it’s more of a game for development. It’s another game and we know what to expect from Crewe, however, the ownership has been put on the players to come up with a match plan that we want to put into practice, hopefully, using that tomorrow.”
A number of under 16s have been involved so far this season, including Benjamin Marcano-McWilliams and Eddie Fox, and Unwin admits it’s a good opportunity for the younger players to get involved in preparation for next season.
Unwin added: “The players will need to learn to win with a different group, we will be slightly younger and have a couple of players returning from injury and getting some minutes.
“I think it’s brilliant for the younger players to come in, stretch themselves, be challenged and add value to the team, contributing to a winning team and hopefully put them in good stead ready for next season for when they do their scholarship."