Arsenal’s third round FA Youth Cup draw has now been finalised, with the young Gunners learning their opponents, as well as the date and venue of the clash.
The draw for the third round of the FA Youth Cup was completed earlier this month, but Arsenal only learned that they would be facing either Hertford Town or Bristol Rovers away from home – with the second-round tie between the two yet to be played.
Hertford town ended up coming out on top on Tuesday night, winning a 4-3 thriller thanks to a goal in the 123rd minute, right at the end of extra time.
As a result, Arsenal will travel to Hertford Town on Tuesday, December 3rd for the third-round match at 19:00 GMT.
Seemingly as a result of that game being added to the calendar and Fulham playing their own cup tie against Notts County on Sunday, Arsenal have postponed this Saturday’s planned u18 Premier League match against the Cottagers.
That game is now pencilled in for Tuesday, April 1st, making room for the Gunners and Fulham to focus on their cup ties.
As for who might feature for Arsenal against Hertford, the two big question marks are around Ethan Nwaneri and Myles Lewis-Skelly. Both players are eligible, and they’re clearly two of the stars of Arsenal’s u18 age group. But first-team responsibilities will likely take priority.
Arsenal face Manchester United on Wednesday, just a day after the Youth Cup game, so it seems unlikely either of them will be involved for the u18s.
One other player who certainly won’t be involved is Max Dowman. Though 14-year-old Dowman has been very impressive for the Arsenal u18s this season, FA Youth Cup age restrictions mean he’s still too young to play in the competition. He’ll be eligible next year.
But other recent first-team debutants should be involved if fit, including Jack Porter and Ayden Heaven.
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