Development is seen as the most important aspect of youth football and usually takes precedence over results.
However, that sentiment changes somewhat in the FA Youth Cup given the prestigious nature of the competition.
Arsenal U18s have struggled for form in recent months but they will get their FA Youth Cup campaign underway on December 15th with an away fixture against Mansfield Town.
Adam Birchall’s side certainly won’t be taking anything for granted against Mansfield, especially as they only just managed to get past non-league side Hertford Town at this stage of the competition last season.
Arsenal eventually made it through to the quarter-finals where they were beaten by Manchester United and they still haven’t won this competition since 2009.
Max Dowman, Andre Harriman-Annous and Marli Salmon are amongst the prominent names who could feature at some stage in the competition but it remains to be seen if any of that trio will be involved against Mansfield.
Dowman’s involvement will depend on his first-team commitments, while Harriman-Annous is injured and Salmon could be suspended after getting sent off for the U18s against Tottenham recently.
Arsenal may still be able to call upon some impressive prospects though with Jack Porter, for instance, set to start in goal and Ife Ibrahim in line to feature at the base of the midfield.
Winger Brando Bailey-Joseph, meanwhile, has been one of the standout performers for the U18s so far this season, with attackers Kyran Thompson and Ceadach O’Neill also often performing to a high standard.
Arsenal will look to take things game by game in this competition and show what they are capable of after enduring some difficulties in the league and the Premier League Cup.
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Jeorge Bird is the author of www.arsenalyouth.wordpress.com Follow him on Twitter @jeorgebird