FA Youth Cup Preview | Peter Murphy pre-Manchester United.
Latics head to Old Trafford on Friday evening for the FA Youth Cup quarter final.
Entry is free, as is parking on the night.

Latics will make history at Old Trafford on Friday evening before a ball is even kicked, with Peter Murphy's Under 18s the very first Wigan Athletic team to feature in a quarter final tie of the FA Youth Cup when they take on Manchester United.

Having knocked out Croydon FC, Tottenham Hotspur and more recently Birmingham City, Latics head into the game aiming to go one step further, with a semi-final tie against either Chelsea or Millwall up for grabs, but first, Murphy wanted to focus on the experience of the evening and the aims given to his players at the start of the season:

"There's been a feeling of excitement all week, we're just looking forward to the game to be honest.

"The lads have been great all season and the challenge of getting to this stage was the one we set to the lads because no Wigan Athletic team has ever made it this far in the competition before.

"The message has always been "do something that no other age group has done".

"Everyone is looking forward to it and the fact that it's at Old Trafford will make it a great experience for everyone."

Latics won the EFL Youth Alliance, EFL Youth Alliance Cup and Lancashire FA Youth Cup last season, with Murphy also leading his side to the fifth round of the FA Youth Cup. A defeat to Liverpool saw that cup run come to an end, but the coach believes last year's performance in the competition has been good preparation for those who are now second year apprentices.

"We got onto a bit of a roll last year and went into the Liverpool game believing that we could win.

"It wasn't the wrong mindset to go in with and we'll stand by that. Liverpool had two bits of quality to take the game away from us, but there's nothing we would have done differently looking back on it.

"We had a good team last year and we went into that one without any fear, which is something we're doing again every week this year.

"All of the first year scholars from last year played in a team that won trophies and that's brought confidence to the new lads.

"The players are used to winning games of football, which has rubbed off on this year's first years. We've only lost three games so far this year, which is an incredible run.

"It's not all about winning games at this stage in our players' development, but it doesn't half help."

Latics arrive at Old Trafford off the back of their first defeat in any competition since September, with Barnsley claiming a 2-1 win at Euxton last Saturday in the Professional Development League, a division Latics are currently top of by 12 points.

Murphy continued:

"The conditions against Barnsley weren't great, but they haven't been for the last four weekends. That's just part and parcel of playing football in this country.

"We weren't up to scratch against Barnsley and it's probably the first time since September that we haven't put in a good performance.

"Games like that are going to happen and it isn't the last time that we're going to get beat, so it's good for the lads to feel the hurt that comes with losing.

"We've been used to being on the other side of it for so long, some of the lads have probably forgot what it feels like."

There's no doubting the task Latics have on their hands when they visit Old Trafford on Friday, but Murphy believes the mentality running through the club from the very top and the support from the fans on the night will give his players the extra confidence to succeed.

"There's a mentality that runs right through the football club. We see how good the gaffer is with ourselves whenever we go up to Euxton or he comes down here to the Academy.

"Everyone gets on here and we love coming into work every day, that's just the way it is. I jump out of bed every day and can't wait to get into work at this club.

"All of the lads will have their families down for the game and the more Wigan supporters who come and get behind us, the better it'll be for us. The support will really give the lads the confidence to win the game, knowing that there'll be a lot of people there watching them."

Peter Murphy | "The support will really give the lads confidence."