AcademyFA Youth Cup preview: ‘We can’t take anything for granted, let’s stay focused’

A fifth-round date at home against Chelsea awaits the victors of this tie and Bridge-Wilkinson’s charges are hoping for another good run in the competition after reaching the final last season.

The young Reds ended 2021 with a thumping 5-0 win away at Burnley in the U18 Premier League North, but the manager insists those high standards must be maintained if they want to progress on Tuesday.

Kick-off at the Academy is set for 7pm GMT and you can watch the game live on LFCTV and LFCTV GO, with our coverage starting at 6.30pm.

Read on as Bridge-Wilkinson looks ahead to the match...

On Tuesday’s tie with Burnley…

It’s a fantastic competition for this age group of players. It’s something we look forward to every year and hopefully, fingers crossed, we can carry on further down the line. We played very well when we met Burnley just before Christmas but we can’t take anything for granted. The team may be different, their team may be different so it’s going to be a one-off cup tie and anything can happen. It’s something we’ve got to be really focused on, we’ve got to be really diligent in our approach and make sure that we take this job seriously.

On the positives he took from Saturday's 1-0 loss to Manchester City…

It was disappointing to lose the game so late on. We set about the challenge of playing City slightly different to how we usually have. We gave the lads a bit of a different stimulus and a different way to think. Overall, I thought they did really well. We created chances, we had really good opportunities, but we just couldn’t get the goal perhaps we deserved. We were disappointed to concede late on and lose the game but we can learn from that.

On striker Oakley Cannonier playing more centrally this season and netting 20 goals in all competitions so far…

This season we have played Oakley down the middle and he has been very effective for us. He has played in certain games down the side, but people who watch Oakley play will see that when he gets chances and gets in and around the box he is a real goal threat. So, we’ve got to get him in those areas and find a way of getting him chances and goals like he’s done 20 times so far this season.

On the consistent displays of Luke Chambers…

Luke has done really well. Over the course of the season he has played at left-back and centre-half for us. He played at centre-half for the first time at this level against AC Milan in the UEFA Youth League and did really well. Chambo can also play midfield. He is a really good footballer. He adapts to situations, he understands the game and wherever you put him he never moans and just gets on with it and gives his very best. He has been doing really well so far this season.

On the Academy being buoyant with so many youngsters getting opportunities at first-team level…

It has been a really good couple of weeks for the Academy and we have seen quite a few players get an opportunity at first-team level, which is fantastic. It’s great for all the young lads at all different ages in the Academy to see those boys getting a chance and also playing really well, so it’s been a nice couple of weeks.