The Youth Team looks to continue its excellent start to the season with further progress in the FA Youth Cup tonight (Monday).
The Whites are unbeaten so far this term to top the EFL Youth Alliance and negotiated the first round of the Cup with an impressive 6-2 win at Rotherham United.
Julian Darby’s youngsters now face Lincoln City in a second-round tie at the Toughsheet Community Stadium (KO 7pm) with a home draw against Wrexham awaiting the winners.
“The lads have been excellent and it’s been a great start, but we’re not getting carried away,” said youth boss Darby. “It seems like ages since we played in the first round at Rotherham and I think we’ve had one competitive game in three weeks.
“But we had a good session with some of the B Team players on Friday and we’ve trained over the weekend so we’ve prepared as well as we can.
“Lincoln having a good season as well and they’re right up there. They’re dangerous with a good front three and good in midfield as well. It should be a good test.”
Lincoln advanced to round two with a 5-0 win at Lichfield City in round one and currently sit fourth in the Youth Alliance with games in hand on the sides above them, with the exception of the Whites.
Wanderers will therefore need to find top gear as they look to better last season’s second-round exit to Derby County on their return to the main stage.
“The last round at Rotherham we played at the New York Stadium, which was great to play at under floodlights in a night game and to do so well,” added Darby, who has seen a couple of the squad’s second-year scholars gain involvement at senior level in the EFL Trophy this season.
“That was excellent and now they’ve got the chance to play at our ground, which is an iconic stadium now, and the chance to go and there impress there as well.
“Maybe one or two got a bit caught in the headlights against Derby, who were a good team and deserved to go through last year, so I’ve said ‘treat it as another game and go and do what you’ve done every week so far because you’ve been brilliant’.
“You just hope they come out, stay grounded, they’re calm, concentrated and get that focus about them and come out and play because they’ve done really well so far and it would be great for them to continue.”
Tickets for tonight's game are on sale at £5.00 for adults, £3.00 for Over 65s and just £1.00 for under 18s with all details of how to buy available HERE