We begin the build-up to tomorrow’s FA Youth Cup tie against Barnsley, which you can watch live on the 5th Stand app and official Chelsea website, by taking a look back at some past encounters with opponents from that part of the country...
Four of the last nine FA Youth Cup third round ties have seen Chelsea draw a side from Yorkshire, with the visit of Barnsley’s youth team to Kingsmeadow tomorrow afternoon making it five from the last 10.
As Ed Brand's young Blues preare for the competition's kick-off , we take a look back at our battles with opponents from the north.
Chelsea 2-1 Doncaster Rovers, December 2011
Played at Staines Town, a Chelsea youth side featuring Jamal Blackman, Lewis Baker and Lucas Piazon came from behind against Doncaster Rovers to move into the fourth round. Liam Wakefield gave the visitors a second-minute lead which was shortly cancelled out by John Swift but it would take a further 74 minutes before Piazon fired a winner for Adi Viveash’s side.
Chelsea Jamal Blackman, Todd Kane, Nathaniel Chalobah (c), Nathan Ake, Adam Nditi, Lewis Bake, Alex Kiwomya (Archange Nkumu 65), John Swift, Islam Feruz, Lucas Piazon, Amin Affane (Ismail Seremba 90)
Unused subs Mitchell Beeney, Alistar Gordon, Reece Mitchell
Eventually we would lift the trophy for the second time in three years after a two-legged 4-1 win over Blackburn Rovers in the final. It was the fourth title in our history, which would start a period of dominance for Chelsea's Academy.
Leeds United 0-2 Chelsea, December 2014
Elland Road was the venue for the fixture which drew a crowd of over 2,000 supporters in West Yorkshire. Our youngsters were handed an early lead through Izzy Brown’s 20th-minute penalty kick, but a red card for goalkeeper Brad Collins just after half-time almost turned the game on its head. Joe Edwards’s team held off Leeds pressure and doubled the scores on 80 minutes through Dominic Solanke to record another competition victory.
Chelsea Brad Collins, Fikayo Tomori, Ola Aina, Jake Clarke-Salter, Jay Dasilva, Charlie Colkett (c), Tammy Abraham (Kasey Palmer 79), Charly Musonda (Jared Thompson 46), Dominic Solanke, Kyle Scott, Izzy Brown (Ruben Sammut 63)
Unused subs Isaac Christie-Davies, Charlie Wakefield
We ended the 2014/15 campaign with the second of what would be five consecutive Youth Cup triumphs. After two legs, the scores were 5-2 in favour of Chelsea who lifted the title at Stamford Bridge with victory over Manchester City.
Chelsea 6-1 Huddersfield Town, January 2015
Edwards' youth team, which included Academy graduates Fikayo Tomori, Izzy Brown and Abraham – who enjoyed scoring against Huddersfield - recorded an emphatic win in the fourth round clash at Aldershot in January 2015.
It was Abraham who got the Blues going at the EBB Stadium with a looping header across goal and into the net, and he doubled his tally not long after. After the visitors reduced the deficit, forward Dominic Solanke sealed a brace to restore our two-goal lead.
The then-England Under-17 striker reacted quickest to the chance of notching three and quickest to the loose ball around the box before striking into the top corner for his third of the afternoon. The hat-trick ball was Solanke's.
Finally, if there was any doubt over Chelsea's progression, a place in the fifth round was secured by Kasey Palmer’s arrowed shot which left the visiting keeper with little chance of saving.
Chelsea Nathan Baxter, Fikayo Tomori, Jake Clarke-Salter (c), Trevoh Chalobah, Jay Dasilva (Dujon Sterling 77), Ruben Sammut (Ike Ugbo 77), Charlie Wakefield, Mukhtar Ali, Tammy Abraham, Mason Mount, Isaac Christie-Davies (Jacob Maddox 63)
Unused subs Jared Thompson, Miro Muheim
Another final win over Man City later followed the fourth round thashing of the Terriers. A 4-2 win over two legs saw Mason Mount, Abraham and Tomori all score to help Chelsea to their seventh Youth Cup title.
Chelsea 4-0 Huddersfield Town, December 2019
Brand's Blues got off to the perfect start in the competition opener at Kingsmeadow last year. Armando Broja, now on loan and scoring at Vitesse, netted within the first minute to get the 2019/20 campaign underway in super style.
Myles Peart-Harris added a second for the Blues 20 minutes later before Broja netted twice more to wrap up his hat-trick. It was a welcome start to a cup campaign that would progress like no other.
Chelsea Jake Askew, Henry Lawrence, Sam McClelland, Dynel Simeu, Ian Maatsen, Lewis Bate, Tino Livramento, Xavier Simons, Armando Broja (George Nunn 85), Tino Anjorin (Marcel Lewis 72), Myles Peart-Harris (Joe Haigh 72)
Unused subs Levi Colwill, Prince Adegoke, Thierno Ballo, Dion Rankine
Our most recent campagin ended in a 3-2 loss at St George's Park against Manchester City as the delayed final took place less than a month ago, in early November following the restart of the competition after it came to a halt in March due to the coronavirus outbreak.
You can watch this year’s third round tie live and for free on the 5th Stand app and the official Chelsea website. Kick-off tomorrow is 2pm and we will have team news and updates on the @chelseafc Twitter account.
-In other Academy news, there have been changes to two upcoming PL2 fixtures. Our first meeting with Manchester United for almost three years at Under-23 level will now take place at the earlier time of 12 noon on Friday 18 December at Kingsmeadow. Meanwhile, the trip to Blackburn Rovers originally scheduled for 8 January will now take place on Friday 7 May.
There is also a change for our Under-18s, who were due to take on Fulham this weekend. That game has now been moved to Saturday 12 December with kick-off at 10:30am.