By lining up against Mansfield Town on Saturday lunchtime, Arsenal’s 16-year-old sensation Max Dowman became the youngest player in the club’s history to start an FA Cup game. Mikel Arteta’s reaction to that record-shattering display suggests it won’t be his only entry into the history books.
Nigel Clough prepared for the visit of the Premier League leaders in the FA Cup fifth round with a reality check. “We drew Arsenal here in the FA Youth Cup and they beat us 4–1,” the League One manager recalled in the buildup to this weekend’s tie. “There were two or three playing that night who would cause us problems in our first team.”
