Aston Villa are 90 minutes away from becoming FA Youth Cup champions for the first time since 2002.
The Young Lions take on Liverpool in the final at Villa Park on Monday night – the culmination of a cup run that has seen them score 26 goals in five matches as they saw off Reading (4-3), Brighton (3-0), Burton Albion (9-0), Newcastle (6-1) and West Brom (4-1).
Despite an impressive run to the Final, Lead PDP U18 Coach Sean Verity believes there is more to come from the squad.
“The way they’ve played football has been fantastic. Some of the attacking play has been breathtaking and we get to watch some of that on a daily basis,” he said.
“We know what they’re capable of and they probably haven’t hit the heights yet. We all came away after the West Brom game – and if you win a Semi-Final it’s fantastic – thinking that there was some more to give.
“That’s exciting, but I’m also extremely proud of how we’ve played in this competition.”
From Louie Barry’s stoppage-time winner against Reading to blowing Newcastle away at St James’ Park, Villa have risen to the occasion in each round.
The only shame for the squad during the cup run has been the absence of supporters – something which will change for the Final when 4,750 fans will be in attendance.
Assistant Lead PDP U18 Coach Liam Bramley believes having fans in the stands will make the match that bit more special for the players.
He said: “Going back to experiences, which is what this competition is all about, it’s probably the bit that’s been missing so far.
“They’ve had the opportunity to play at stadiums, they’ve had the opportunity to play in games but adding the fans into the mix is something we want to expose these players to. It’s something they’re going to have to handle if they go and make their senior debuts.
“It’s part of the learning process that they’re on. This group thrive on these occasions and I just hope that they put on a show for the fans.
“A lot of these people haven’t been able to attend games, they haven’t been able to get behind the lads like they normally would. It’s going to be a fantastic occasion.”
