Youth cup preview: One final push

Chelsea Under 18s are preparing for our second FA Youth Cup final appearance in the space of three years, this time against Blackburn Rovers, and Adam Nditi has hailed the team's fighting spirit which he believes has been pivotal in helping us reach this stage of the competition. Adi Viveash's side welcome Blackburn to Stamford Bridge tomorrow night (Friday) for the first leg of the final, with the return to come at Ewood Park on 9 May. Tickets for tomorrow are still available and the match is live and exclusive on Chelsea TV. Nditi admits that the recent performances of the first team have proved to be a real source of inspiration for the youngsters. 'It's the biggest achievement for our age group and we're looking forward to it,' he tells the official Chelsea website. 'Last season we failed to reach the final, but this season the first team are doing well, they are in the final of the FA Cup, the semi-finals of the Champions League and it's good for the youth team to go far as well. 'We've shown great character throughout the tournament. In most of our games, we've been behind and gone on to win them, so it shows we have a great team spirit. We've been together a lot through the tournament, doing stuff with each other, and on the pitch we are always united because we want to win it, we have a great togetherness in the squad.' Tomorrow night's opponents secured their place in the final with a 3-1 aggregate victory over local rivals Burnley, and they will head into the game with no fear following an impressive campaign thus far. Nditi, though, takes comfort from the fact that his manager, as always, has left no stone unturned in preparation for the game, and while the Blues left-back acknowledges the threat Terry McPhillips's side will undoubtedly pose, particularly in the air, he believes the key will be to focus on our own game. 'We've been talking about them, Adi went to watch their semi-final and we know what we are going to face so we are pretty much ready for it,' says Nditi. 'They are big, physical and hit a lot of diagonal balls, so we need to win the ball in midfield and stop them playing. 'We believe in each other and our abilities, and we are confident we will win the game if we keep the ball, play our own game and don't force things.' The 17-year-old, along with midfielder Lewis Baker, has played more games [27] for the youth team than any other player this season, a statistic which speaks volumes about the faith the manager and coaching staff have in his importance to the side. Surprisingly, Nditi has been largely disappointed with his own performances over the course of the campaign, although he has noticed an improvement in recent weeks, and cited his growing understanding with Lucas Piazon down the left-hand side as a major positive. 'It's been a good season for me, but I haven't been as playing as well as either myself or the club expected me to,' he admits. 'I've played a lot of games as I haven't had any injuries, but I've been playing to a level which is just enough for me to get into the team. 'Last season, I was one of the players who played a lot of games in the youth team, and my progression was going very well, but this season I feel as though I've struggled a bit. I'm doing all I can to hold down a place in the team and my form is coming back. A lot of people told me I played well last week against Manchester United, but I could have done better in the second half, I didn't go forward as much, but hopefully I will play better against Blackburn. 'We've been working on it, at first we didn't have a great chemistry down the left but it's getting better and now it's more fluent. He [Piazon] is a great player, probably one of our best, and he's a player who can win us games so we need to get him on the ball. I go forward a lot as well, so once I give him the ball I can push on and he can pick passes.' Nditi's immediate aim is to ensure that at the culmination of the two games against Blackburn, it's Nathaniel Chalobah holding the trophy aloft. Long-term, however, like the rest of his teammates, he's hoping to one day hold down a regular place in the Chelsea first team, and the recent upsurge in fortunes of one particular Academy graduate, also a left-back, has certainly given him hope. 'Ashley Cole is my idol, he's a great player, but Ryan Bertrand has come into the side this season during the FA Cup and various league games, so it does give me hope that one day it could be me in that position,' says Nditi.