While our men's team may be out of the equivalent senior competition, West's youth side will be hoping to emulate the Women's first team tonight and progress to the next round when they take on City of Liverpool at Brookburn Road in a 7pm kick off in the Preliminary Round of the FA Youth Cup. For the winners, a home time against either FC United or Nantwich is the prize in the First Qualifying Round, in a game that would be due to take place on the week commencing 17th September.

Based out of Manchester College, this will be the side's first time playing at Brookburn Road, and your support would be hugely appreciated. Normal admission prices (£5 / £3 / Under 12s free) apply, and the clubhouse will be open from 6pm, serving both drinks and food.

More about the FA Youth Cup via thefa.com

The Football Association launched The FA Youth Cup in 1952, following the success of The FA County Youth Cup competition which had been set up seven years earlier.

With talented school leavers finding it hard to break immediately into senior football, The Youth Cup was seen as an ideal breeding ground for the football stars of the future.

Initially, many clubs did not have an organised youth structure but today all clubs, both League and non-League, have realised the importance of nurturing future talent. Hence the depth and breadth of the 400-plus entrants.

To qualify for The Youth Cup, teams must play in a Youth League, or equivalent competition, and must be fully integrated within the main structure of the senior club. The players selected must be under 18 at midnight on 31 August in the current season. Players of the calibre of George Best, Paul Gascoigne, David Beckham and Michael Owen have all played in FA Youth Cup-winning sides.

Manchester United have won The Youth Cup a record 10 times, and last lifted the trophy in 2011.

Generally it has been the big clubs with the most sophisticated youth set-ups and advanced recruitment techniques that dominate The Youth Cup’s list of winners. Chelsea have been the pre-eminent force of late, winning five of the last seven Finals.

The highest aggregate score for The Final is the 9-0 thrashing that West Ham United – with Joe Cole and Michael Carrick – handed out to Coventry City in 1999. A full house at Upton Park saw the rampant Young Hammers win the second leg 6-0 before the live Sky cameras.