Kolo Toure leads pile-on as Man City secure another title to break Manchester United hearts

Kolo Toure leads pile-on as Man City secure another title to break Manchester United hearts

Manchester City's dominant academy system have secured another trophy, regaining the under-18 Premier League North title back from Manchester United.

Manchester City celebrated wildly as a 90th-minute Matty Warhurst winner secured the Under-18 Premier League North title again. (Image: X/@ManCity )

A stunning comeback earned Manchester City's 'special' youth team the vital points they needed to secure the under-18 Premier League North title on Saturday ahead of Manchester United.

Needing to win to ensure the title would be regained, City's hopes of securing top spot on home turf were in serious doubt when they fell 2-0 down to Derby before half-time.

‌

However a Finley Gorman strike just before the break halved the deficit and Ryan McAidoo danced inside on the hour mark and fired a rocket into the far corner from distance to level the scores.

Article continues below

Matty Warhurst got his 14th goal of a productive league season to put City on the cusp of the title before one final twist - a Derby equaliser. But Warhurst - so often in the right place for the under-18s this season - was on hand in the 90th minute to power in a winner to seal a 4-3 win that returned the title to the City Football Academy.

The goal sparked jubilant celebrations at the CFA as players, substitutes and staff all raced to the corner and piled on Warhurst. That included assistant coach Kolo Toure, who was seen jumping around with his players.

Content cannot be displayed without consent

‌

Academy Director Thomas Krucken said: “Winning the Under-18 Premier League North title is a huge achievement for this football club. Every single person who works in our Academy should be really, really proud of what we have done.

“The players have been superb. First and foremost, they have played in the right way. And the results have been remarkable. It’s been a really special campaign and I want to congratulate all the players.

“Oliver [Reiss], his staff and all those in support roles have been amazing this season. You cannot get results like we have had without every single person going above and beyond.

‌

“I am so pleased with what we have done. Everyone at City should be really proud of this special group of players.”

City won the title for three years in a row before a stunning effort from United last season ended that impressive run. With coach Ben Wilkinson stepping up to the under-21s in the summer, German Oliver Reiss was appointed to oversee a change at youth level.

Four winless games at the start of the campaign had Reiss doubting his methods briefly, but once he adapted to his new surroundings the youngsters have not looked back. They have now recorded 27 wins in succession in league and cup, giving United's talented crop no chance.

‌

The youth team will now have the opportunity to be crowned national champions when they take on the winners of the Southern division - currently a four-way battle for the title between Arsenal, Chelsea, Southampton and Aston Villa.

And the under-18s have an FA Youth Cup final against Villa next week at Villa Park hoping to defend that trophy and continue a dominant period for the youth team.

--

‌

Here at The Manchester Evening News, we're dedicated to bringing you the best Manchester City coverage and analysis.

Make sure you don't miss out on the latest City news by joining our free WhatsApp group. You can get the club's breaking news and best analysis sent straight to your phone by clicking here to subscribe.

You can also subscribe to our free newsletter service. Click here to be sent all the day's biggest stories.

Article continues below

And, finally, if you'd rather listen to our expert analysis then make sure to check out our Talking City podcast. Our shows are available on all podcast platforms, including Spotify and Apple Podcasts, and you can also watch along on YouTube.

Click here to read article