Recent weeks has seen several, young Stags, either appear on the bench, or on the pitch, of Nigel Clough’s EFL League Two side, Mansfield Town.

This alone shows that the future is bright for the club with the likes of defender Taylor Anderson (earning minutes against Carlisle United), and the duo of forward McKeal Abdullah, and another defender, Darien Wauchope (on the bench against Tranmere Rovers).

Their rise is down to, in no small part, the clubs’ U19s reaching this seasons Youth Alliance League Cup final, following last weekends’ 1-0 win away to Bolton Wanderers; they’ll now face Rotherham United (Joe Skarz’s side winning 3-1 at Lincoln City) in the Northern Section final.

In reaching this seasons’ final, the young Stags, managed by Richard Cooper, have seen off group stage opposition (won three, lost one) in Burton Albion (won 2-1), Rochdale, (lost 2-1), Stockport County (won 1-0), and Salford City (won 6-0), before defeating Shrewsbury Town, 2-1, at home, in late January’s quarter-final.

The group stage success against Salford, that would see McKeal Abdullah, who is in a rich vein of form for the Academy side, grab a hat-trick in the Stags’ 6-0 win, whilst Alfie King, Ronnie Kokkinos, and Daniel Organ, also got in on the action.

In the semi-final, away to Bolton, the game would be settled by a lone, first half strike, by Abdullah, the youngsters lining up for the game as follows –

Mansfield Town – Louie Turner, Elliot Hartmann, Louis Bonser, Taylor Anderson, Cormac Maher, Darien Wanchope, Tyler Whyle, Charlie Carter, McKeal Abdullah, Ronnie Kokkinos, Jakub Kruszynksi (subs – Leech, Finn Flanagan, Alfie King, Daniel Organ, Lewis Warnaby, Oliver Wilson)

Although form for the young Stags has been a little off, and the side bowed out of the Nottinghamshire FA Senior Cup, 4-2 on penalties, against Carlton Town (following a 1-1 draw), the rise of the Academy stars can’t be denied and, in most recent action, both Anderson, and Abdullah, featured on the Stags’ first team bench later that afternoon, as the seniors fell to a home defeat against Salford City.

The Alliance Cup final, which is scheduled to take place in Rotherham, between Rotherham United and Mansfield Town, will occur in late March – keep a check on the Mansfield Town Academy Twitter for details.

The winner of the Northern Area final will face that of John Bitting’s MK Dons, in the national final, which has a provisional booking on Wednesday 26 April.

*Article provided by Peter Mann (Senior Correspondent).

*Main image @MTFCAcademy the Mansfield Town youngsters are through to the Youth Alliance Cup Final.