Arsenal to be Bould at home, promises boss

Arsenal v Liverpool
The FA Youth Cup sponsored by E.ON
The Final, first leg
8pm, Friday 22 May 2009
Emirates Stadium
Live on Setanta Sports 1

The first leg of The FA Youth Cup sponsored by E.ON Final takes place on 22 May, as the promising young players at Arsenal and Liverpool will display their skills in north London at the Emirates Stadium.

Arsenal secured their place in The Final with a convincing Semi-Final victory over Manchester City which means the young Gunners are on course for a brilliant double trophy haul this season, having already beaten Tottenham to win The FA Premier Academy League Final.

The significance of playing Liverpool in May will not be lost on Arsenal's Youth Team manager Steve Bould, who played in the Arsenal side that dramatically clinched the Football League title at Anfield in the final game of the 1988-1989 season.

But Bould's focus is on producing a good enough performance at home in order to take a lead to Liverpool next week.

"It’s the first of two legs," he said, "so we will approach the game with a positive outlook, wanting to play our own game. Liverpool will be tough opposition and there’s going to be no greater challenge than going to Anfield for the second leg."

Arsenal captain Jay Emmanuel-Thomas will be hoping to have a similar effect to that of his namesake Mickey Thomas, who scored that title-winning goal two decades ago.

He said: "It’s been several years now since Arsenal has reached The FA Youth Cup Final, and of course we really want to bring the trophy back to the club to highlight the hard work everyone has put in this season. We’ll go into Friday and Tuesday’s games with respect for Liverpool, but belief that if we play to the best of our abilities we can do a job."

Arsenal booked their place in The FA Youth Cup Final for the first time in eight years after an impressive 6-2 aggregate victory over current holders Manchester City.

And Bould acknowledges that playing in The Final will be a huge step in the learning process for his youngsters. He added: "This is a massive game for the players and something that will stand them in good stead for years to come in terms of playing at a high level and in front of a big crowd."