Aston Villa Under-18s will be looking to do the double when they step out at Villa Park on Saturday.
The Young Lions won the FA Youth Cup earlier this month and are now looking to triumph in the U18 Premier League National Final. Tickets are available here.
Villa finished top of the South division and face the winners of the North, Manchester City, in B6 this weekend.
Here are five of the key games on their journey to the South title...
Southampton 2-3 Aston Villa, 31st August 2024
Bradley Burrowes bagged an injury-time winner as Villa twice came from behind to claim at Southampton. The Young Lions were headed for a third consecutive draw but left with all three points when Burrowes latched on to Mason Cotcher’s quickly-taken free-kick before racing through and slotting home. Cotcher and Elijah Briscoe (pictured) had earlier found the net to draw the visitors level on two occasions.
Arsenal 2-4 Aston Villa, 19th October 2024
The Young Lions left it late to beat fellow title contenders Arsenal and earn a big away day victory. A lively encounter saw Markie Meade’s deflected effort send Villa in at the break with the lead, though the tie was flipped on its head shortly after the restart courtesy of goals from Ceadach O’Neill and Dan Casey for the Gunners. But a hat-trick from Burrowes (pictured), including an 88th-minute strike to make it 3-2, swung it in the away side’s favour.
Aston Villa 4-0 Reading, 25th January 2025
After a two-month break in league fixtures over the winter period, Villa returned to action with a thumping success against the Royals to keep them top of the table. A first-half header from TJ Carroll (pictured) gave Jimmy Shan's team the lead at the break before a dominant second-half showing saw goals from Cole Brannigan, Vinnie Hayward and Meade complete a resounding victory.
Norwich City 2-3 Aston Villa, 22th April 2025
With games in hand racking up, Villa earned an important three points to stay in touch at the top of the table. The Young Lions were in command at half-time, holding a two-goal lead via an own goal from Gabriel Keita and one from Jack McGrath. However, their advantage was wiped out in the space of four second-half minutes when Toby Chilvers followed up a goal from Finlay Corke. Villa recovered their composure and picked up a win courtesy of Brannigan’s (pictured) 73rd-minute winner.
Aston Villa 1-0 Leicester City, 8th May 2025
The Under-18 Premier League South title was sealed on home turf, thanks to a hard-fought win against the Foxes. Cotcher’s close-range finish on the hour mark sealed the Young Lions’ success as regional champions. It was a deserved triumph for the Villans, who created a host of openings throughout amid a keenly-contested encounter, with the full-time whistle sparking joyous scenes of celebration.
U18 Premier League National Final
