Posh U18s face The Railwaymen in the first round of the FA Youth Cup.
Peterborough United U18s are set to begin their FA Youth Cup journey on Thursday evening (7pm) as they face Crewe Alexandra U18s at the Mornflake Stadium in the first round of the competition.
The under 18s enter the game on the back of a narrow defeat to Burnley U18s at the weekend, but have secured four points in their last three games. The Railwaymen, who are currently sat fifth in the Professional Development League, have only won once in their last five games, including a 5-2 defeat to Watford U18s last time out.
Jimmy Unwin is set to take charge of his first game since being appointed U18s Lead Coach earlier this week and spoke about the excitement around the competition, but is keen for players to remain focused.
Unwin said: “The reason why the players relish this competition is because it’s in the stadium and has a lot of eyes on you, which can put a spotlight on them. So, the players can get a little bit excited about it but, for them, it’s just another game of football and they will want to create memories.
“I know we played Crewe at under 21s level a couple of weeks ago, so there’s footage of that and we have footage from some of their recent games and there’s plenty of preparation going into the game. However, it’s just another game, I want the players to go out there, relax and enjoy the challenge of trying to win.”
Watch Jimmy Unwin’s full interview on Posh+ here.
Defender Harley Mills said: “It’s a really good opportunity to showcase what we can do, so myself and the whole team are really looking forward to it. We might have a few hundred people there watching the game and make it a good experience to play at a League Two stadium. In the last couple of weeks, our performances have been good, Saturday was no different and I thought we were unlucky to not get anything out of the game.”
Forward Joel Odei-Larbi made his return from injury on Saturday, featuring for the final 15 minutes against Burnley, and is set to be involved in the trip to Crewe on Thursday evening.
Kick-off is at 7pm at the Mornflake Stadium. Supporters can get access to the stadium via the Boughey Stand, where entry is free.