Preston North End head to Hillsborough on Tuesday evening to face Sheffield Wednesday looking to seal a place in the fifth round of the FA Youth Cup.
The youth team head to the historic stadium for a 7pm kick-off, with victory for either side setting up a trip to Ewood Park to face Blackburn Rovers, which for PNE would be a repeat of their 2020 tie at the same stage.
Nick Harrison’s side sealed their place in the fourth round in December 2021 with a victory away at Sutton United, with Josh Seary’s winning penalty sealing their progression in a shoot-out, following a 2-2 draw after 120 minutes.
PNE head into this fixture in fine form, having won their last five games in all competitions and going unbeaten in their last seven.
Goals certainly haven’t been hard to come by either, with a total of 19 having been scored in their run of five victories in a row.
Given that the FA Youth Cup is an U18s competition, none of the first-year professionals – the likes of Jacob Holland-Wilkinson and Lewis Coulton – will be eligible to take part.
In Sheffield Wednesday, North End come up against a team going well themselves in their own division, the U18 Professional Development League.
They began 2022 with a 2-1 victory over Peterborough United on 8th January, while their route to the fourth round of the FA Youth Cup included a 1-0 away victory over Southampton.
Supporters are welcome to attend the tie at Hillsborough, with admission on the night just £3 for adults and £1 for concessions.
For those who cannot attend, or will be at Deepdale watching the first team, we will provide score updates on our Twitter account.