" Kids in Cup triumph "
FA Youth Cup Final ( second leg)
Manchester United 1
Middlesbrough 1
United´s junior side won the FA Youth Cup for the first time since 1995 - and the ninth occasion in total - with a 1-1 draw with Middlesbrough on Friday, claiming the two-legged tie 3-1 on aggregate.
A stunning goal from Eddie Johnson settled the tie in the Reds favour in front of a large crowd at Old Trafford on a rainy night in Manchester.
First team stars Gary and Phil Neville, Paul Scholes, John O´Shea, Ryan Giggs, Quinton Fortune and Roy Keane were all cheered by the 14,849 crowd, but it was David Beckham - subject of intense tabloid scrutiny on the day of the game - who got the loudest welcome. Fans left him in no doubt as to where they want his future to lie.
Becks was in the team when United won the trophy back in 1992, and the current side set upon their task of emulating them with gusto in the first half, swamping Middlesbrough with attack after attack.
Kieran Richardson put the first good chance over the bar after ten minutes, following a period of sustained pressure from the home side.
And Eddie Johnson went one better four minutes later to put the Reds into a 1-0 lead after a superb turn, a strong run across the edge of the Boro area followed by a brilliant finish past Ross Turnbull in the visitors´ goal.
Sylvan Ebanks-Blake, in the side because of an injury to Mads Timm, then wasted two chances in three minutes to double United´s advantage, firing into the keeper´s arms after a good David Jones run after twenty minutes, then shooting at Turnbull again shortly afterwards.
A darting run from Chris Eagles nearly brought about the Red´s second with thirteen minutes of the first half remaining, but his speculative cross/shot hit the angle of the post and bar before rebounding to safety. The same player again went close three minutes later with a crisply-struck strike that flew just wide of the post.
With United dominating proceedings, a superb effort from Jones from outside the area was well turned over his bar by Turnbull - by far the busier of the ´keepers. He did well again to keep out Lee Sims´ effort after Jones scuffed his shot in the box with a minute left in the half, and excelled again to smother Johnson´s goalbound effort after a superb move in the dying moments of the half.
United continued to play good, flowing football in the second half, and a particularly dazzling move ten minutes in culminated with Eagles bending his shot inches wide of the post.
Another move of stunning quality came to an end with Ebanks-Blake atoning for his earlier profligacy, but the goal was ruled out as he was adjudged to have pulled back his marker in the area. Johnson fired over after 71 minutes after another great passing move from the home side. Enjoying the greater possession, the Reds really turned on the style - revelling in a great atmosphere.
Brian McClair made two changes with a quarter of an hour to go, bringing on Welsh striker Ramon Calliste and central defender Mark Howard for Ebanks-Blake and Paul McShane.
Totally against the run of play, Boro pulled a goal back with twelve minutes to go, with Gary Liddle converting from an Andrew Davies cross. David Poole was introduced shortly afterwards at the expense of Kieran Richardson. The job was done, the Cup won and the lads celebrated on the pitch in front of Sir Alex Ferguson - who can´t fail to have been impressed.
United: Steele; Sims, Bardsley, McShane, Lawrence; Eagles, Richardson, Jones, Collett; Blake, Johnson.
