Joe Cole was an FA Youth Cup winner with West Ham back in 1999, and along with Steve Sidwell, twice a champion with Arsenal, casts his mind back to success ahead of Chelsea's tie with Leicester City tonight.

Stamford Bridge hosts tonight's Youth Cup fifth round tie with Chelsea hoping to reach the quarter-final of the competition for the first time since 1998, when a certain John Terry was among the Blues number, although suspended for the game they were knocked out. Admission is free for spectators.

Sidwell and Cole, the two previous winners of the tournament in our squad, were happy to share their memories with chelseafc.com as Paul Clement and his youngsters prepare for a visit from Leicester, and the first youth team action at Stamford Bridge in four years.

Cole, pictured celebrating a Youth Cup goal, was a part of the famous West Ham team of 1999 that stormed to victory with a 9-0 aggregate win over Coventry in the two-legged final, while Sidwell is a double winner of the trophy, lifting it at Arsenal in 2000 and 2001.

When the winger speaks of his experiences of the FA Youth Cup, his eyes light up as he recalls leading the team to the trophy alongside Michael Carrick and Stephen Bywater, against Coventry's Chris Kirkland and Gary McSheffrey.

'Brilliant, brilliant. It's the best feeling ever, because it's with all your mates,' he explains. 'In the first team the players come from all over the world, but when we won it at West Ham we had been together since we were 10, we had grown up together.

'I remember talking about it so much, and I had played first team football leading up to it, so I was used to the big stadiums, but the lads, the excitement leading up to it was brilliant, and we ripped it,' he says, eyes still wide.

'We were brilliant right the way through, beat Arsenal 4-0, Everton 4-0, and then won against Coventry in the final 9-0.

'They are such great memories, and I am surprised some of those lads haven't come through at the top level, a lot of them are playing in the Football League but I think the standard of the Premier League is so high now, and that may hold some back.

'Ours was a record breaking team, we won the youth Premier League, and went unbeaten for four seasons, it was ridiculous, we just kept winning everything, but still some didn't make it.'

This is a familiar story in football, with many top youth teams still only producing a handful of players, but as former Chelsea star player and later a coach at West Ham, Peter Brabrook recalls, Cole's class of '99 was a special one.

'Every now and then you get a vein of good youngsters and it can lead to an exceptional youth team. You don't often get a great intake of players for three or four years on the trot at the same club,' he explains.

'Joe Cole won the FA Youth Cup when I was coaching him at West Ham and he was in an exceptional side back then. Around that time we produced Frank Lampard as well and Glen Johnson, Michael Carrick, Jermain Defoe - a string of England players.'

There are youth internationals running throughout the current Chelsea crop, with Clement able to draw on a range of nationalities and abilities as we search for our first success in the competition since 1960 and 1961.

That side featured household Chelsea names such as Peter Bonetti, Ron Harris, Terry Venables, Barry Bridges and Bobby Tambling.

Sidwell's Arsenal team of 2000 and 2001 is another to have produced many high-profile players, and he recalls the early part of his career with the same detail as Cole.

''I won it two years on the trot, brilliant memories,' the midfielder smiles. 'In the first year I played a year out of age, cemented a place in the team and we won it quite convincingly. In the second year we played our own age and tore the cup to pieces, we blew them away with ease.

'We got to the final and beat Blackburn 5-0 in the first leg. I scored in both finals each year, so it was nice to start a career off on a winning note with medals,' he said.

The majority of Sidwell's colleagues in those two seasons have gone on to make successful careers from the game, but none have ever become regulars in the Arsenal side, instead moving on to pastures new.

'Everyone has gone on and made a career, if you look at the players. Moritz Volz at Fulham, Rohan Ricketts, Jerome Thomas, Jermaine Pennant, Jeremie Aliadiere, Graham Stack, the list goes on,' Sidwell added.

He is unsure why none managed to impose themselves in Arsene Wenger's side, but offers up a reasonable explanation.

'You get to a point in your career when you decide to stay and try and make it, play a handful of games or go out and establish yourself,' Sidwell explained. 'That's what a lot choose to do, David Bentley was the only one that tried to stay and still didn't make it.'

While plenty from each of their sides have come through, Cole and Sidwell both appreciate how lucky they are, but 24-year-old Sidwell admits he has no idea what he would be doing had he not made the grade.

'If I hadn't made a career out of football I wouldn't like to think,' he sighed. 'At school, teachers said to me I needed to consider what I would be doing after, and I always said: "No sir, I'm going to be a footballer," and I wouldn't look at any what ifs, I knew from an early age I would do it, but it takes hard work and dedication.'

That is a lesson that is quickly instilled in the youngsters that arrive at the Chelsea Academy in Cobham, and the team has already had to surpass potential banana skins in Stevenage and Shrewsbury in the previous two rounds.

A solitary goal from substitute Adam Philip was enough to see off Stevenage in December, while earlier this month Shrewsbury were tamed with a 4-0 win at Brentford.

Next up are the Foxes, and Brabrook, currently a youth scout with West Ham, believes they will be a tougher prospect, having already been impressed by them.

''I've been keeping an eye on the Youth Cup to be honest and I've seen Leicester play already. They were one of my favourites to win it this season - they're a decent team and I think it will be a tough game for Chelsea,' he says.

As things stand though, Chelsea have the chance to impress in front of an increased number of supporters in a big-match atmosphere at the Bridge, and it is something Sidwell himself believes is an important factor in development.

'It was fantastic to play at Highbury, I was at Arsenal from the age of nine until 20, so have a lot of memories, and it's a historic ground, so it was good to play there.

'We didn't have the biggest crowds in the Youth Cup, but I went back with Reading in 2005-6, and it was nice to play with a big crowd then. That chapter has gone and it's now Chelsea's chapter,' he finished.

He will be hoping there are many more from this season's batch of youngsters that can join him, alongside Cole, in the Chelsea first team in the not too distant future.

Kick-off this evening is at 7pm, with admission free for supporters in the West Stand. We look forward to seeing you as Chelsea look to book a place in the quarter-finals.

The game is also to be broadcast live on Chelsea TV, so there are no excuses for missing the action!