It was an immensely successful campaign for Ben Wilkinson’s side, lifting a fourth consecutive Under-18 Premier League North title, before becoming the first team in history to win three successive National championships.
We finished four points clear of second-placed Sunderland in the northern section following and exhilarating title race, ahead of a dramatic 2-1 National final win over West Ham at the Etihad Stadium.
Our strong form in the league also translated into the FA Youth Cup as City recorded four straight wins before we narrowly missed out on a place in the final with a last-four extra-time defeat to Arsenal.
And there are a swathe of impressive stats to come from the 2022/23 term…
HISTORY MAKERS
As previously mentioned, City’s victory over West Ham in the National final represented the third time in succession we’ve lifted the trophy – becoming the first club to do so.
After falling behind to the Londoners in the first half, Justin Oboavwoduo’s header with 16-minutes remaining levelled the score – forcing extra-time.
Buoyed by our equaliser, the 16-year-old then sealed a historic win with his second of the evening, thus sealing the title.
The success adds to our impressive 2021 (3-1 win over Fulham at the Academy Stadium) and 2022 (2-1 victory against Southampton at St Mary’s Stadium) hauls.
TOTAL WINS
In 33 matches in 2022/23 in all competitions, we tasted victory on 25 occasions.
That equates to a magnificent win percentage of 69%, with our Under-18s losing on just five occasions while producing three draws along the way.
En route to the Under-18 Premier League North title is where, unsurprisingly, the majority of our wins came from. In the domestic division, City boasted a fine record of 18 wins from 24 games.
In five FA Youth Cup matches we beat Blackburn Rovers, Brighton, Fleetwood and Oxford United as we secured passage into the semi-final.
And we, of course, ended the season on a high with that last success coming against West Ham in the National final.
GOALS GALORE
With the plethora of attacking talent we have within our Under-18s ranks, perhaps it’s no surprise to see City atop of the goal-scoring charts across the north and south divisions.
In total, Wilkinson’s side scored 81 Northern section goals in 24 games – rising to 83 in 25 when including the National final.
This saw us average 3.32 goals per game, but when coupled with our 16 goals across five FA Youth Cup matches and five goals in three Premier League Cup fixtures – City averaged a staggering 3.1 goals per match in all competitions.
Focusing solely on the PL Under-18 North, between minute 61 and 75 proved our most profitable time periods in matches as 18 of our 81 goals came from in between this 14-minute increment.
Meanwhile, inside the box provided the most joy as 70 of City’s strikes came from within the 18-yard area.
TOP SCORERS
Justin Oboavwoduo finished as City’s top league goalscorer with a tally of 18 (including a brace in the national final).
Hot on his heels were winger Joel Ndala who bagged 13 league goals and midfielder Nico O’Reilly who scored 10 northern section goals.
YOU SHALL NOT PASS
Not only did we flourish in front of goal in 2022/23, but we also possessed a mean defence which provided a solid foundation in which to build from.
Across both the north and south divisions, we recorded the most clean sheets with 10, one fewer than second-placed Sunderland and three higher than West Ham (seven) who were atop the southern chart.
We also conceded just 23 league goals in the PL Under-18 North, seven fewer than the second toughest defence which belonged to the Black Cats.
When examining our shots faced, perhaps it explains why our goal was the least breached across the term. In total, we faced 188 shots – 61 fewer than West Ham’s tally of 249.
LARGEST WINNING MARGIN
Wilkinson’s side’s largest win across the term was a spectacular 8-0 success over Wovles at the CFA in December.
Goals from Emilio Lawrence, Matty Whittingham (two), Justin Oboavwoduo, Tomas Galvez, Joel Ndala, Alfie Harrison and Ashton Muir secured three points in a hugely entertaining contest on home soil.
Elsewhere, we also recorded four respective 5-0 wins in matches against Blackburn Rovers (twice), Nottingham Forest and Fleetwood.
LONGEST UNBEATEN STREAK
From mid-November until the start of February, we recorded a 10-match unbeaten run – our longest across the term.
During that time, we recorded eight wins and two draws in all competitions as we strengthened our position in the title race while continuing our promising FA Youth Cup journey.
Across the 900 minutes of football, we scored 34 goals and conceded only five times.
Congratulations to City’s Under-18s on an amazing, historic campaign!
