Youth team Boss Eric Kinder spent the evening running the rule over Youth FA Cup opponents Manchester United as they made their way through to round 4 at the expense of Brighton.

He told us:"Brighton were a decent side in the first half and deserved to be in the lead at half time. It was a different story in the second half because United hit the post three times before they equalised and they were all over the pitch.

They dominated possession and the goals were always coming. For their second goal, the Brighton keeper could easily have been sent off, but the Referee seemed to take note of the occasion and let him away with it. They got a bit more luck with that because the lad who took the penalty hit it against the keeper, and it rebounded back out to him and he scored.

It was just about what they deserved though, because they really did camp in their half after the break. The conditions didn't help, because the pitch got a bit tricky as it got colder and colder.

I must admit, at one stage I was starting to wonder whether we'd be off to Brighton because they didn't equalise until well in to the second half. Mind you, once that came there was only going to be one outcome. I don't think Brighton even got near their penalty box, let alone managed a shot after that, so it really was one way traffic.

Having seen the likes of Liverpool and Everton in pre-season I think I can say that Manchester United are of a similar ilk. They move it around quickly, they like to keep it short and they work very, very hard. They are more than happy to retain the ball until there's a definite route forward and they will make you chase it to try and open the gaps.

They are an extremely good side. The centre forward is from Lazio, the left winger is from the same side in Norway that Solskjaer came over from, they've got the captain of the Irish U18 side, and it's the same kind of story in just about every position on the pitch. It's exactly what you would expect from a club of the size they are.

To see them before kick off was amazing. They were all in their pristine Manchester United suits and they came out with a very good but confidently arrogant attitude. MUTV were all over the place, with Gary Neville doing commentary for them, and there were also first team players all over the place. I've said it about them before, but you either love them or hate them, and either way they are a fantastic football club. It doesn't matter what Liverpool, Chelsea or Arsenal say, they are the biggest club in this country by far. It's Northwich Victoria, it's -3 and dropping all the time, and the first team players are there to watch. That's superb.

I spoke to the United Youth coach and he was as disappointed as anyone else that his lads couldn't play at Old Trafford. I asked him what the chances were for our game and he was fairly low key about it. We have to hope that there isn't too much of a fixture back log come the New Year and we also have to hope that the weather is kind to the pitch. If it is then he'll be asking the question and, hopefully, we'll get a positive response.

My message to the lads from this is that Brighton have taken them to the wire. They really took it to them in the first half and they showed that they have a couple of really good players. They dropped back and lost their legs in the second half, and I don't think we'd be guilty of that. United seemed to think that they were just going to roll them over, and they may have got a little bit of a shock. They were a different team after the break, so we'll have to be aware of that and make sure that we work hard for 90 minutes. We've got to get close to people, we've got to want to stop them from passing the ball and we've got to believe in the way that we can play. Let's be very clear, we have ourselves a really good team here, and they are capable of anything if they play to their potential.

I've got my ideas about a few things, and what we may try to do, but the main thing is that we get down there and we have a real go. I don't want them coming off the pitch and thinking about how much harder they could have worked. I want them to give it everything they have and let's see what happens from there. We've achieved our aim by getting through this far to face one of the really massive guns, so let's enjoy it.

Almost forgotten in all of this, you know, is the fact that we have another League game this weekend. Now, these lads are telling me that they want to be champions, so they now have to prove that they can put all of this behind them and do the really hard work, which is keep that consistency in the League games. I keep telling them that I'm not bothered about winning the League, and I'm really not, because what I want is to produce at least four or five players who will earn professional contracts.

Now, they insist that they can do it and that they want it. Personally I think that we can have a really good go at the Alliance Cup, and we may even be in a position to win that one if we keep playing like this. So, they've piped up again today and told me that they are serious about a shot at top spot. Well, if they mean it then they have to win on Saturday, it's a simple as that. I don't think, realistically, that we can go in to the New Year five or eight points off the pace and still think we can do something. That's just too much at this level.

As I've told them, I've handed it over to them. If they really think they can go for it, show me that this is out of their system, show me that they can put thoughts of Old Trafford and Manchester United to one side and get out there and beat Burnley. If they do that, we'll get in to January and I will do everything I can to help them towards their goal. If they lose, then I'll have to look at running the second half of the season in the manner that I usually do, which may not be as helpful to them results wise, but it will help the Youth system as a whole development wise. It's up to them to show me just how much the title really does mean to them now."

Blues Travel will be running coaches to the Manchester United game, whatever the venue - watch the Official Site for more details.

Prices: Adults - £10, Concessions - £8.