Preview: AFC Wimbledon Under-18s v Rovers Under-18s

Rovers Under-18s make their bow in the FA Youth Cup this evening when Ryan Kidd's youngsters take on AFC Wimbledon in round three of the tournament at the Cherry Red Records Stadium.

After coming into the competition in the first round, the Dons have defeated Cambridge United and Stevenage to reach this stage of the competition, with goals from midfielders Harry Sidwell and Kai Jennings securing a 2-1 victory against the latter last month.

Rovers will be aiming to go a step further than last year, with the team suffering a 3-0 defeat to Manchester City at the Academy Stadium back in December 2022.

Rovers have won the prestigious competition on one occasion, which came back in the 1958-59 campaign with a 2-1 win against West Ham United in the final of the competition that was in just its seventh year.

Kidd has plenty of options available to him following almost three weeks without a game, with the likes of Nick Michalski, Brandon Powell and 15-year-old Rory Finneran, who was named on the bench for the first-team in midweek, all available.

Tom Atcheson could also be involved, although that will depend on whether the teenage defender is part of the senior squad that takes on Southampton at St Mary's tomorrow afternoon.

The highly-rated Rhys Doherty looks likely to feature in defence, whilst Junior Nsangou and Joe Boggan look set to battle it out to lead the line unless Kidd opts for a pairing in the final third this evening.

The winner of tonight's clash will have an away tie against either Cheltenham Town or Sheffield United in the next round.

Ticket information for the contest can be seen below:

Supporters can purchase tickets online from the AFC Wimbledon website by clicking here.

Fans should note that we hope to live stream tonight's tie for free on our official YouTube channel. However, this is subject to the necessary media facilities being available at the stadium.

Tonight's tie must be decided on the night. Should the scores be level at the end of 90 minutes, extra time and penalties will determine who progresses to round four.

Kick-off is at 6pm this evening.