Anything the Manchester City senior team can do, the academy follows. Sometimes, the academy leads.
For the third year running, the under-18s and under-23s are both national champions, with the youth team beating West Ham on Wednesday night at the Etihad to complete an unprecedented treble-double.
After winning the Northern Division of the under-18 Premier League for the fourth year in a row last month, Ben Wilkinson's youngsters confirmed their status as the best youngsters in the country with a hard-fought extra-time victory over a fine West Ham outfit. The title, and the history that comes with it, will stay with these youngsters forever - while the manner of their latest victory will please the coaches and decision-makers at City who are now seeing a regular return for years-worth of planning and coaching.
