Young guns eye City showdown

ATHLETIC’S youth team are 90 minutes away from a glamour tie with Manchester City.

Victory over Sheffield Wednesday in the FA Youth Cup second round at Boundary Park tomorrow (7pm kick-off) would earn a home clash with the Blues.

And chief executive Alan Hardy is urging supporters to catch a glimpse of the club’s brightest young prospects.

He said: “There is a lot of promising talent in the youth side.

“Carl Winchester and Ryan Burns have been involved with the first team this season, and Andrew Crompton has also made a big impression.

“The winners will play Manchester City at home, so it is all to play for.

“Hopefully some of our fans are planning to go along and cheer on the side.”

Should Athletic prevail against the Owls, they will have their work cut out against City.

The Eastlands outfit has one of the most successful academies in the country, having produced the likes of Nedum Onuoha, Vladmir Weiss and Michael Johnson in recent years.

City lifted the FA Youth Cup in 2008, courtesy of a 4-2 aggregate win at the expense of Chelsea, in a campaign inspired by the form of striker Daniel Sturridge, who went on to join the Stamford Bridge outfit.

Admission for tomorrow night’s second-round tie costs £4 for adults, with £2 concessions.