Ahead of our U18s’ FA Youth Cup third round clash with Sheffield Wednesday, Rogan Ravenhill says morale is high around the camp following his side’s recent run of form.
The young Reds come into this encounter sitting top of the Professional Development League and have so far beaten Spennymoor Town and Scunthorpe United in previous rounds of this competition.
“I think we’re all feeling pretty confident going into it; it’ll be a good test for us,” asserted Ravenhill. “It’s on Hillsborough, so a different pitch – we’re not used to playing on there – but we’ve got to go into it confident with a positive attitude, so I don’t see why we can’t win and get into the next round.”
Nicky Eaden’s side came from behind in their last outing at Burnley to snatch all three points in a seven-goal thriller, with Mylan Benjamin netting a late brace to seal a dramatic victory.
It was a performance that spoke volumes of the character of our U18s, who don’t know what a lost cause is.
“It gave us a lot of confidence,” insisted Ravenhill. “We were 3-1 down and came back into the game and managed to get three points, so it should give us confidence going into Sheffield Wednesday to play that game.”
The young Reds last met Wednesday at the end of October, and the spoils were shared at the Oakwell Training Ground in an entertaining 0-0 draw.
Ravenhill was the standout performer that evening, pulling off a string of fine saves to keep a clean sheet and ensure his side claimed a valuable point.
“It was a tough game,” discussed the goalkeeper. “Personally, I think I did well in the game, but as a team we need to be on it more from the start compared to that game.
“If we’re on it from the start, we can do well.”
The 17-year-old is hopeful on another good turn out from the Reds’ supporters at Hillsborough after receiving fantastic backing at Oakwell in the previous two rounds.
Admission is £3 for adults and £1 for concessions in the South Stand, and Ravenhill is keen for a good atmosphere in the South Yorkshire derby.
“When we played here against Spennymoor and Scunthorpe, we had a lot of fans turn up, and they all seemed to enjoy it,” he said.
“So, hopefully, a few will come down to watch us and it should give us a confidence boost.”
