League and FA Youth Cup successes for Reiss’ Under-18s were just a small aspect in another successful year.
In our final outing of 2025/26, the City youngsters took on Under-18 Premier League South title winners Chelsea at Stamford Bridge in the Under-18 Premier League National final.
Despite a valiant fight we lost out 5-1 to Chelsea in what will have been another invaluable opportunity for the team to learn from.
To round off another incredible campaign, we take a look at how 2025/26 unfolded...
U18 Premier League
We kicked off our Premier League North campaign in style with a convincing 5-0 victory over Leeds as we looked to retain the title once again.
The young boys in Blue picked up points against Sunderland, Blackburn, Wolves and Manchester United to go on a five game unbeaten streak, scoring a whopping 18 goals before suffering our first league defeat in a 3-2 loss to Liverpool.
However, we soon bounced back after a thrilling 3-2 victory against Stoke City which was followed by a five-star performance that saw us beat Burnley 5-0.
A 2-0 win at Middlesbrough extended our winning run once again and a 6-0 triumph over Nottingham Forest saw us maintain our five point lead at the League summit.
We would end 2025 in the best way possible after victory over Everton and sitting pretty atop of the table by four points over our cross-city rivals.
It would go on to be a tightly contested battle between the two sides as City kicked off 2026 perfectly with a 6-0 victory at Blackburn Rovers as we moved seven points clear and a win against Newcastle would see our winning run reach 10 games in all competitions.
But it would soon be ended by United as they beat us 3-1 at the City Football Academy.
Oliver Reiss’ side wouldn’t let it rock them, however, as we bounced back again with a ruthless 7-0 victory over Wolves, an unbelievable 5-3 comeback against Newcastle before once again falling to defeat this time to Derby County.
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We were forced to settle for a point at Leeds before returning to winning ways against Liverpool and sharing the spoils again with Burnley.
Before we knew it it was crunch time as we entered April and after making it to the FA Youth Cup final we returned to the top of the table after beating Sunderland.
The test for the young Blues was really on now and the results kept on coming. A dominant 4-0 victory over Forest started the streak and a 5-0 triumph over Middlesbrough continued our lead.
With United slipping up, a win against Derby would seal the title in our favour, but we didn’t do it the easy way.
It was a dramatic head-to-head which saw an eventual scoreline of 5-3 in our favour to see us crowned Under-18 Premier League North winners once again.
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But we still had a few games to go before we could close the curtain on the season, starting with a gripping 4-4 draw with Stoke.
In our final outing of 2025/26, we ended our campaign with a frantic 5-4 defeat at Everton, with debuts for a handful of exciting talent we will see more of next term.
We finished the season on 60 points, just four more than United, winning 19 games, losing four and scoring an incredible total of 96 goals in another successful year for Oliver Reiss and his side.
Feed the Lamb
Teddie Lamb joined City’s Academy in 2025 after impressing in the youth system at Leyton Orient.
In the summer of 2025, Teddie signed his scholarship prior to joining Oliver Reiss’ Under-18s side for the 2025/26 season and it’s been a successful debut season for the 16-year-old.
Lamb has been an exciting number nine to watch from his brilliant ability to hold up the ball, linking up play in forward positions to testing opposing defenders to their limits.
The youngster finished the Under-18 Premier League North season as top goalscorer and was awarded the U18 Player of the Season by Academy Director Thomas Kruecken, Director of Football Hugo Viana and former Men’s Assistant Manager Pep Lijnders.
In his debut campaign, he scored 25 league goals in 22 appearances and three FA Youth Cup goals in five games, playing an instrumental role in City’s two trophy lifts.
FA Youth Cup
A tight 2-1 victory over our cross-city rivals Manchester United at the Joie Stadium in May saw City lift the FA Youth Cup trophy for a fifth time in the Club’s history.
It was also the first step on the way to an FA Cup treble with the First Team following suit with triumph over Chelsea two days later and the Women’s Team also picking up the trophy at the end of May.
The young Blues had struck first in an absorbing derby showpiece with Floyd Samba unleashing a superb 40th minute long-range free kick.
United though hit back to level almost instantly via a Godwill Kukonki header.
After a hard fought second half it looked as if the final was destined for extra time.
However, Reigan Heskey conjured up a moment of individual magic on 87 minutes, brilliantly firing home from close range to secure the trophy for Oliver Reiss’s side at the Joie Stadium in front of 7,000 fans.
Most Appearances
Tyrone Samba, who received the U18 Players’ Player of the Season trophy, featured predominantly as a number 10 within Reiss’ engine room. In the league, he totalled seven goals and seven assists, showcasing fantastic trickery and link-up with his team-mates.
And in the FA Youth Cup, he had three goal involvements in six appearances to top off his most impressive Under-18s campaign in style.
Reigan Heskey and Kaiden Braithwaite both featured for the most minutes, with both recording well over 540 minutes over 6 games.
