Our FA Youth Cup History with Aston Villa

Academy

8 Mar 2026

Crystal Palace and Aston Villa are both proud names in FA Youth Cup history, and the two clubs will renew their rivalry once again when they meet in Tuesday’s quarter-final under the lights at Villa Park (10th March, 18:00 GMT).

The game kicks off on Tuesday, 10th March at 18:00 GMT at Villa Park and will be broadcast live on the official Emirates FA Cup YouTube channel – click here to watch.

If you can’t catch it live, supporters can follow live commentary on our Academy X (Twitter) page, with a full match report and reaction published shortly after full-time on our Academy news section and Palace TV+.

You can also stay updated via the official Crystal Palace App, which delivers goal alerts and key match notifications straight to your phone. Live Opta stats on the app will keep you informed throughout the game.

Even before kick-off and after the final whistle, you can access previews, reaction, and video content all in one place, ensuring you don’t miss a moment of the action.

Be there in person by purchasing your tickets via Aston Villa’s website.

For Palace, the tie represents an opportunity to move one step closer to ending nearly half a century without lifting the famous trophy.

For Villa, it is a chance to continue their remarkable pedigree in the competition, with the young Lions chasing a record-extending sixth title after their most recent triumph came as recently as last season against Manchester City.

Despite both clubs’ rich history across the 74-year existence of the FA Youth Cup, meetings between the two sides have been rare. Tuesday’s clash will mark only the fourth time Palace and Villa have faced each other in the competition – and the first at the quarter-final stage.

Historically, Palace hold the advantage, having won two of the previous three encounters.

The first meeting came on 22nd December 1975, just days before Christmas. Palace progressed on that occasion during a memorable run to the semi-finals of the 1975/76 competition, where they were eventually eliminated by a strong West Bromwich Albion side that would go on to lift the trophy.

Three years later came the most famous meeting between the clubs...

In 1978, Palace reached the FA Youth Cup final for the second consecutive year after lifting the trophy for the first time in 1977 under former defender John Cartwright. The 1978 final, condensed into a single match due to fixture congestion, was played at the neutral venue of Highbury – with Aston Villa standing in Palace’s way.

Once again, it was Terry Fenwick who delivered the decisive moment.

His goal secured a 1–0 victory for the young Eagles, sealing back-to-back FA Youth Cup triumphs and confirming the arrival of an exceptional generation of talent at Selhurst Park.

Those successes helped lay the foundations for what would become known as the ‘Team of the Eighties’. Players such as Kenny Sansom, Vince Hilaire, Dave Swindlehurst and Billy Gilbert progressed from the Youth Cup-winning side to become key figures in the first team.

Their influence was felt almost immediately. Six members of the 1978 Youth Cup squad featured in the final match of the 1978/79 season as Palace sealed promotion to the top flight in front of more than 50,000 supporters at Selhurst Park.

The most recent meeting between the clubs came in the fourth round in 2016, when Aston Villa ran out 5–1 winners at Selhurst Park.

Now, nearly a decade later, the latest chapter awaits at Villa Park – and if history is anything to go by, it promises to be another memorable contest!

How to follow

The game kicks off on Tuesday, 10th March at 18:00 GMT at Villa Park and will be broadcast live on the official Emirates FA Cup YouTube channel – click here to watch.

Even before kick-off and after the final whistle, you can access previews, reaction, and video content all in one place, ensuring you don’t miss a moment of the action.

Be there in person by purchasing your tickets via Aston Villa’s website.

Ticket Information:

Tickets are on sale now via Aston Villa’s website (50p transaction fee applies for online and phone sales):

Adults: £5
Under-18s: £2

Important Information:

All tickets are digital; no collections available.
Tickets appear in the Aston Villa app and can be downloaded to Apple Wallet or Google Wallet.
Print-at-home tickets are available on request.
Tickets are non-refundable.
Aston Villa manage sales for both home and away supporters. No segregation; visiting fans can purchase seats in available on-sale blocks.

CLICK HERE FOR MORE INFORMATION

Match Details

Aston Villa U18s v Crystal Palace U18s

Tuesday, 10th March
18:00 GMT
FA Youth Cup quarter-final
Villa Park
Watch LIVE on the official Emirates FA Cup YouTube channel
Buy tickets HERE

Related News

More News

Our FA Youth Cup History with Aston Villa

Academy

8 Mar 2026

The game kicks off on Tuesday, 10th March at 18:00 GMT at Villa Park and will be broadcast live on the official Emirates FA Cup YouTube channel – click here to watch.

Even before kick-off and after the final whistle, you can access previews, reaction, and video content all in one place, ensuring you don’t miss a moment of the action.

Be there in person by purchasing your tickets via Aston Villa’s website.

For Palace, the tie represents an opportunity to move one step closer to ending nearly half a century without lifting the famous trophy.

Historically, Palace hold the advantage, having won two of the previous three encounters.

Three years later came the most famous meeting between the clubs...

Once again, it was Terry Fenwick who delivered the decisive moment.

His goal secured a 1–0 victory for the young Eagles, sealing back-to-back FA Youth Cup triumphs and confirming the arrival of an exceptional generation of talent at Selhurst Park.

The most recent meeting between the clubs came in the fourth round in 2016, when Aston Villa ran out 5–1 winners at Selhurst Park.

Now, nearly a decade later, the latest chapter awaits at Villa Park – and if history is anything to go by, it promises to be another memorable contest!

How to follow

The game kicks off on Tuesday, 10th March at 18:00 GMT at Villa Park and will be broadcast live on the official Emirates FA Cup YouTube channel – click here to watch.

Even before kick-off and after the final whistle, you can access previews, reaction, and video content all in one place, ensuring you don’t miss a moment of the action.

Be there in person by purchasing your tickets via Aston Villa’s website.

Ticket Information:

Tickets are on sale now via Aston Villa’s website (50p transaction fee applies for online and phone sales):

Adults: £5
Under-18s: £2

Important Information:

All tickets are digital; no collections available.
Tickets appear in the Aston Villa app and can be downloaded to Apple Wallet or Google Wallet.
Print-at-home tickets are available on request.
Tickets are non-refundable.
Aston Villa manage sales for both home and away supporters. No segregation; visiting fans can purchase seats in available on-sale blocks.

CLICK HERE FOR MORE INFORMATION

Match Details

Aston Villa U18s v Crystal Palace U18s

Tuesday, 10th March
18:00 GMT
FA Youth Cup quarter-final
Villa Park
Watch LIVE on the official Emirates FA Cup YouTube channel
Buy tickets HERE

Related News

More News