Coventry City

Having already brushed aside Walsall, Crewe, Stoke and Charlton in their FA Youth Cup run, the Sky Blues team face a tough test against high-flying Arsenal in the fifth round.

Fourth round jitters were calmed early on for Coventry City as in-form striker Bassala Sambou put the Sky Blues 1-0 up inside the opening 10 minutes.

Jordan Shipley doubled the lead eight minutes later and despite conceding a late penalty, the Sky Blues youngsters delivered a resilient defensive performance to end the game 2-1 in favour of Coventry. 

Sky Blues U18s coach, Jason Farndon, commented on his side’s mature display:

“The pitch didn’t really allow us to play much football, but we’ve come through that. I thought we were resolute in our defending and mentality was outstanding.

“The team-talk was about mentality and I think they stuck to that, they managed different stages of the game well.”

Striker Bassala Sambou has now netted eight times in the FA Youth Cup this season, including four goals against Walsall.

Farndon was delighted with Sambou’s work-rate during the game:

“He runs in behind, he is a real threat to everybody. He runs the line single-handedly really. He is really aggressive on the press and he carried on working until the end.”

Farndon also commented on the confident performance of Sky Blues midfielder, Callum Maycock:

“I think he was the best player on the pitch. A complete midfield performance, he is dogged. Every single time he is a real team player and works to the detail that you ask him to do.”

The Sky Blues now face a difficult home tie with an experienced Arsenal side, who sit fourth in their respective league standings. 

Farndon added: “It’s the furthest the club has got in a long time and it’s a great opportunity for us to go and play one of the best academies, arguably, in Europe.”