FA Youth Cup Preview: “The Lads Are Aware Of The Competition’s Significance”

Simon Clark is excited about taking his Under-18 side back to his old stomping ground of Lincoln City and choreographing an FA Youth Cup win that would put the club on the road to another deep run into this famous competition.

Clark held various roles at the Imps – caretaker manager, first-team coach, Under-18s manager and youth-team player – but he now goes back to the LNER Stadium (formerly known as Sincil Bank) on Friday night as Lead Coach of the Hornets’ Under-18 side with a place in the fifth round at stake.

“It’s a club very close to my heart so the match has lots of significance for me,” said Clark. “I’m glad there are not supporters there as there would be plenty heckling me! But my association does mean I know plenty about them.

“They beat Preston in the last round at Deepdale, so it will be a difficult game. I expect us to have more of the ball, for them to allow us to have it and to try and pinch it and hit us on the counter. We need our creative players, our goalscoring threats to finish their actions.

“We’ve been really bright, really sharp in training and moving the ball really well. If we get in good areas and shift the ball quickly and shoot, we will be okay.”

The Hornets won the competition in 1982, beating Manchester United; reached the final against Paul Gascoigne’s Newcastle in 1985; won it again in 1989 when David James was in goal and then reached the semi-final in 2019 (v Liverpool, pictured above).

“The lads are fully aware of the significance of the competition,” said Clark. “We’ve got people still in the team, like Sonny [Blu Lo-Everton] and George Langston, who talk to the lads about that run two years ago, the effect it has on the group and the buoyancy it gives you.

“We've done our prep, we know all about the opposition so now it’s about rocking up and doing your best.”