Ipswich Town 1-0 Southampton
(Ipswich Town win 3-2 on aggregate)

FA Youth Cup Final second-leg
Ipswich Town, Portman Road
22 April 2005

Edward Upson won Ipswich Town The FA Youth Cup with a dramatic, 25-yard winner late into extra-time.

Upson, a 15-year-old midfielder, came off the substitutes’ bench and scored in the 118th minute to give the Blues a 3-2 aggregate victory.

The result was harsh on Southampton who had created the majority of the chances but were punished by poor finishing and excellent goalkeeping from Ipswich’s Shane Supple.

Town captain Liam Craig lifted The Cup to spark jubilant scenes at Portman Road in front of nearly 15,000 fans.

The Saints had dominated the first half but failed to take their chances.

Their best opportunity came when David McGoldrick headed wide at an unguarded goal with Supple out of position.

Town offered little in the first 45 minutes but Darryl Knights did call Andrew McNeil into action on one occasion, but his shot that was easily saved by the 'keeper.

The away side again created the better chances in the second period and Supple made a spectacular double-save in the 63rd minute to keep it all square.

The Saints had broken Ipswich’s offside trap and Theo Walcott, the skilful England winger, crossed for Tim Sparv, who looked certain to score from inside the six-yard box.

His first effort was parried superbly by Supple and the ball fell back to the midfielder but the Irish international somehow recovered to stop the follow-up shot on the goal-line.

Leon Best, who's already made his Premiership debut, did have the ball in the net shortly after for Southampton, but this time his neat finish from Walcott's cross from the left was ruled out for offside.

Ipswich nearly stole a victory in stoppage time when McNeil, who had seen little action, had to save from Knights and then a rebound effort from substitute Blair Hammond.

With few chances at either end, the game looked destined for penalties, until the dying moments. The impressive Nathan Dyer was once again on the attack for Southampton, looking for a way through. His strike was blocked on the edge of the box and cleared long towards Hammond on the Ipswich left.

Cutting in, he found trouble in the shape of Craig Richards, but the unlucky Saints defender could only force the ball away to the feet of Upson who thumped past McNeil to send the Suffolk support wild.

The game nearly took another dramatic twist in the last minute when James Krause had to clear the ball off the line after it had deflected off Aidan Collins.

But Ipswich held on to win The FA Youth Cup for the third time in their history.

Ipswich Town: Supple, Krause, Collins, Casement, Synnott; Craig, Lordan (Hammond 82), Trotter (Upson 105), Moore, Haynes (Sheringham 71); Knights.
Subs not used: Reynolds, Ainsley

Goals: Upson 118

Southampton: McNeil, Critchell, Rudd, Cranie, Richards; Dyer, Sparv (Lallana 106), James, Walcott; Best, McGoldrick (Condesso 86).
Subs not used: Wallis-Tayler, Jones, Dutton-Black.

Attendance: 14,889

Referee: Mr Andre Marriner