As Manchester City prepare to defend their crown in the FA Youth Cup Final next week, Citizens boss Oliver Reiss – the under-18s lead coach – is looking forward to leading his side out at Villa Park with silverware at stake.
Having arrived at the club in July 2024, Reiss – who spent 17 years with German side Hertha Berlin, coaching both the under-17s and the under-19s – has already witnessed first-hand the magic of the cup and, according to the 42 year old, it is like nothing he has ever experienced before.
“Here, from the day I arrived, everybody told me that the FA Youth Cup is something special,” said Reiss. “I could feel that in the first game. I had so many people coming up to me wishing me luck.
“You could feel during the games, not just here at our academy stadium, but when we travelled away too, you could feel that this was something different, something special. Everyone wants to get to that Final.
“Maybe there’s also a sense of expectation here – because of the club’s record in the competition, you can feel it. From the first day, I felt that reaching the Final should be a real goal for us.”
Victories against Crystal Palace, Millwall, Leeds United – who the Citizens beat 4-0 in last year’s Final – and West Bromwich Albion paved the way to the final four before a 1-0 win over Watford saw City secure their place in back-to-back finals.
Matty Warhurst scored the only goal of the game at Vicarage Road as the forward rippled the net with just three minutes on the watch and it was a moment which proved to be the difference.
“The players aren’t used to playing in front of so many people in grounds like this,” reflected Reiss. “The first thing for me is that, yes, we want to win these games to reach the Final and then, of course, go on to win it.
“But in terms of developing and improving the players, it’s so important to play in an environment like this and see which players are able to perform in these pressure situations.
“Talent is one thing, but you want to know if players can bring these talents into these high-profile games, and that’s really important for us, as coaches, to see.
“This game, you could feel the pressure. It was tough up to the end, but we were happy to come away with a 1-0 win. The feeling of winning these games is very different to winning a normal league game.”
Reiss’ side will come up against Aston Villa in the Final which takes place on Monday 5 May (3pm BST), with the West Midlands team having enjoyed an equally impressive run in this season’s competition.
“They’re a team of high quality,” added Reiss. “You can see that this isn’t a team that hasn’t needed luck to get to the Final. They have incredible players, and I think these are probably the best two sides in the country for their age group.
“To play at Villa Park is a fantastic opportunity – to have this experience makes every one of these players better. This game will give players a glimpse of where they may one day end up.”
To read the full interview with Oliver Reiss in the official match programme, click here to order your copy.
