Young Blues' dramatic last-minute cup win marred by Onyango injury

I assume it's the City Academy Stadium?

It's unbelievable the facility City have. State of the art throughout. The indoor facility is also very good.

Capacity is 7,000. Of course that means nowt at the minute... but still impressive.

Our stadium news has been more than positive and Finch Farm is a top class facility, just a slight niggling shame we won't have that.

So far, impressed with young Lewis Warrington, our number 6. Also the City player Doyle.

Still impressed with the 2 I called at half time. Lewis Warrington for us and Doyle for City.

Tongue in cheek though, get our keeper in the first team squad! Some great stops from the young man.

Garcia appears to be our U-18 Iwobi; unpredictable. Not a bad trait to have at this age.

Everton finishing strongly here.

Last kick of the game wins it.

Wait until the 97th plus boys and score the winner!

Very interesting game of football regardless of result.

Two subs setting up and scoring the goal.

City in 5 of the last 6 finals.

Great win built on an outstanding and disciplined defensive display.

Very impressed with Doyle Rob.

The goal was excellent. Not sure if it was Canon's header at the edge of the penalty area that knocked it down to Garcia who flicks it on nicely, but Butterworth was superb taking one touch with his right foot onto his left foot and it is the speed and power of the shot that gives their keeper no chance.

Garcia when he came on helped us play further up the pitch. Lots of nuisance value this fellah.

Chelsea next round isn't it? Another serial winner of this trophy in recent years.

There were a lot of great performances today but I thought Reece Welch was superb. He was the leader at the back, marshalling the shape, marking Delap at corners, being available for Leban when needed. He looked good last season but he’s maturing as a defender now. Garcia is a bundle of tricks and energy too, I wonder if he can last 90 mins know he’s fully recovered from his injury.

Was that for comfort as Martinez let the defenders sleep during the actual games?

City Council to build Finch Farm stadium for higher rent

Given the political events surrounding LCC in recent months and days, I wonder at the details of the proposed contract and why it never came to fruition.

Not a stadium as such Would have saved them playing games at Southport though.

Of course it doesn't put any youngsters in the first team... in fact the opposite: it puts one potential superstar on the sideline for months. But football is about winning as a team, and I really think that's what they are trying to instill at the Academy.

This in the Manchester Evening News:

"Just a day after Pep Guardiola name-checked several 'interesting players' in the academy to be able to fill the void that will be left by Sergio Aguero this summer, they showed they might not be able to be relied upon just yet after they crashed out of the FA Youth Cup in astonishing fashion to Everton."

Astonishing fashion! Fuck off, you Manc twats!!!

That clip from the Manchester Evening News Michael; of course they can't be relied upon yet. They are kids right? Lazy journalism. Not you, the MEN by the way. I know you are calling it out too.

Great for the kids, fight and work hard to stay in the game, then hopefully take your chance when it arrives, and what a brilliant strike it was by the young sub, who took his chance superbly after replacing the unfortunate Onyango.

I will be very surprised if he’s broke his leg, (I really hope he hasn’t) because it looked more like he turned his ankle when it got caught between the City players legs and the turf🤞.

Thanks Phill, the first thing I noticed about Welch, was his composure, the second being that he also looks like he can pass the ball. You said all the back four were schoolboy footballers last season, and I’ve said many times that Martin Waldron, said this was the best group of players he’d ever seen at the club, although they were only under tens at the time!

Restructure is indeed needed if this country is to release the potential of the players that are out there at scale. Today was great to watch, but unfortunately only the few will ever get to experience anything like that. I'm not saying everyone will, but we as a nation can do so much better.

I'm off rambling again, let me do a piece in the summer. Hopefully as we are planning our European travels next season.

Whatever the outcome, I wish the young lad a speedy recovery.

Whilst in the main I empathize with your view that youth football should primarily be concerned with devlopment rather than results, for me that doesn't extend to the FA Youth Cup.

In recent years, like the FA's Blue Ribband trophy the FA Cup, this competition may have lost some of its allure, but I am sure people of a certain age group know it as a very serious competition.

Like the FA Cup it is open to all and each year attracts 400+ entrants countrywide. For professional clubs and its target age group - under 18s - it should be treated with and competed for with full respect. You surely WANT your young players to have a winning edge and mentality at this age and in this competition, or I suggest they will be destined for failure as an adult footballer.

Even today in commentary when the City player who did for Onyango was trying to apologise for his foul, the Blue commentator and former Everton player Nick Chadwick both took umbrage at it.

'That's not what the Everton academy taught me. You were taught to win, not to high five opposition players in game. Yes, shake hands at the final whistle, but don't be matey with them in-game.'

On that score, it was pleasing then to see Thiery Small in particular having none of it from the City player and telling him in no uncertain terms where to go.

As this link shows, a number of true greats have played in this competition. The list of winners in this near 70-years-old competition also shows how seriously the 'elite clubs' of English football have competed for this trophy in recent years.

Brief History of the FA Youth Cup

That the winning goal was scored by the substitute was poetic justice but of course no consolation to Onyango who now faces what might be a lengthy spell out of the game.

Michael (54), The Manchester Evening News has always been a bit of a joke in Liverpool, they used to advertise it as “ Your friend dropping in “ on ITV news, that’s what Scousers called their Giro’s in the seventies, The Manchester Evening News because it was a friend dropping in each Thursday, erm so I believe!!

Really terrible news about Onyango. He was developing into a Fellaini-style midfield nightmare. Hopefully he hasn't broken his leg but sounds like he has.

Nice to see Garcia making a difference. It won't always come off, but attacking players need to be brave and use some imagination.

Doyle is a really good player. He'd be on the cusp of the first team for most Premier League clubs. He would be a good fit at Everton if he loses patience at Man City.

It is a great competition and the aim of being in it is to win it. If I recall, the last time we had a run anywhere near this in the competition was when a certain Wayne Rooney introduced himself to the outside world with his "once a blue always a blue" celebration.

If any of these kids are half as good as him, I'll take them. I do like the look of Warrington.

Didn't see the game, only realised it was on, too late.

I've watched a few Everton teams at City Academy Stadium. The stadium is a real display of their commitment to, and faith in, all their football teams and the fans who watch them.

To compare any player to The White Pele, Colin Harvey, is the top accolade for Lewis Warrington, long may he continue to progress his career at Everton.

I missed the game as I was painting the fence in view of the good weather.

Now for Palace, and a must win game for Everton.

There is speculation of interest from other Premier league clubs. My son who reads from other more reliable sources than me thinks he could actually look to go to someone like Brentford in order to get more chance of first team football. And then there might be the prospect that he will stay.

Difficult to gauge, and I suspect the truth lies somewhere in-between. I just hope he makes a football decision whatever the outcome is.

But what I liked was seeing a midfielder who was always making himself available to the centre-backs and the full-backs for the short pass out. And then, a player who had to confidence or know how to either give it straight back or, turn and play forward if he knew he had time and space. Be that a long direct pass that almost put our forward in for a chance on goal in the first half or a sprayed ball out to a wide player. Good range of passing from a player who I very rarely saw stray out of that pocket of space between the more forward midfielders and the defenders. A modern day sweeper who plays in front of the defence and behind the midfield??

I hope they come to some arrangement where he is our player, but has a couple of loans, and then maybe he can step up, save us a shed load and establish himself. Many have tried before and almost disappeared into the lower echelons of football.