It is FA Youth Cup time again tonight, and after being so close to glory last season, the players and staff of Chelsea's Academy are hoping to see some silverware this time around.

Two-legged Final defeat to Manchester City brought to an end a memorable campaign back in April, after wins against Stevenage Borough, Shrewsbury Town, Port Vale, Leicester City and Aston Villa had taken Paul Clement's side into the final two.

It is back to the north-west again tonight as this season's campaign kicks off with a huge fixture away at Manchester United, to be played at Old Trafford.

It has been a busy week for the coach following the departure of Brendan Rodgers to Watford, but he insists those events have not curtailed preparations for tonight's tie.

'At the moment I am taking the team on Thursday and during this interim period where Brendan has moved on, there will be a certain amount of covering the reserves but no real answers longer term than that.

'The hours of the day haven't changed that much, and it was good to be involved with the reserves, but it makes little difference with the youths. When we always did the tactical work leading to Youth Cup games we only really did two days, we were together for three for the spirit and togetherness, and then got into the work two days before and that's how I took over this time, [Under 16s coach] Dermot [Drummy] and I were out there on Tuesday morning with the boys.'

It is a contest Clement has been looking forward to, and appreciates the contrast from last season's start, a 1-0 win at the home of the Blue Square Premier side.

'It is really good to be back involved, it is fantastic to be back in the Youth Cup after our experiences last year, which I really enjoyed but for the very last part, and it was a good experience for all the staff, but most importantly for the players,' he said. 'They are looking forward to getting going again.

'It was interesting how last year we played Stevenage in the third round and we managed to get a certain momentum going as we moved through the rounds. This time there is no real time to warm up, we need to be at our best from the start and that's one of the messages we will be passing on to the players.'

Two schoolboys heavily involved in last season's run have now progressed into full-time scholars. Frank Nouble and Jeffrey Bruma are both in fine form, and will be involved tonight at Old Trafford.

'I think it is very exciting for us, probably the biggest game of the season so far, and it's Manchester United,' said Dutchman Bruma (pictured below), who has featured regularly in the reserves this season despite his slender years.

'Their name gives you a buzz, even at youth and reserve level. This is a very big match, it's the Cup and everybody is watching us and expects us maybe to go to the same level as last year in the Final.

'I haven't played at Old Trafford before but have obviously seen it on the television so it is a big challenge against a team like Man United who have lots of good players. They have Danny Welbeck, the striker who played in the first team already and scored a goal, so it is a big test for all of us to see how far along we are.'

Indeed Welbeck has looked impressive when he has featured for Sir Alex Ferguson's side, finding the net with a long-range drive against Stoke City recently, but we have our own pair of forwards capable of scoring goals.

Fabio Borini has been making a name for himself at reserve level this season, scoring twice in three appearances, while Nouble (pictured below) has scored a staggering 10 times in 12 games for the Academy.

'I am confident at the moment, my form has been good and I have been scoring a lot of goals, as has Fabio Borini,' said the 17-year-old. 'That's two top scorers in the club at the moment and hopefully we can bring that to the game.

'I have been playing more central in the league this season whereas I was out left, and the goals are flowing. I scored from out wide on four occasions this year though, and I think I am equally comfortable wide or in the middle. At this club we like to mix around the positions a lot and I can play all three.'

He is hoping to use last season as a spur to help the club go a step further this time around.

'Last year Clem gave me a chance as a schoolboy and I felt I took it well, so hopefully I can use that experience this year to help those who aren't as experienced as I am in the Youth Cup. Obviously it is a bigger challenge from the start this time and we have to concentrate like we did to progress.'

Bruma agrees with his team-mate that there is a self-belief running through the squad as a result of last year's success, the first time we had reached a final at youth level since 1961.

'We are confident, we have a different team now because a lot of last year's second years have moved on to the reserve squad but we still have a good team. We have to work hard together and keep concentrated together. I think there will be a big crowd so we expect a big game too,' he reasoned.

It certainly is the standout fixture of the season so far, and Nouble recognises that playing at a 76,000 capacity stadium is a huge opportunity, while Clement takes a realistic view.

'It is a big game to be playing at Old Trafford, a dream come true for most of us and hopefully we can play there further along in our careers, but for now it's definitely a huge game,' said the youngster.

'Hopefully some of the boys on show will get the opportunity to play there again, ideally at senior level, but they have to understand that for some of them it may be the biggest moment of their career, that's the way it is unfortunately,' said the coach.

On the subject of highlights, each of the three picked out their personal favourite moments from the 2007/08 Cup run.

'The semi-final second leg at Aston villa definitely, from the winning perspective,' said Clement. 'From a football performance I would say Port Vale, to have been 5-1 up and playing really well that night, it was a good feeling from a coaching point of view.'

Nouble echoes the sentiments of his coach. 'My highlight personally was the game at Port Vale, when I had a heavy hand in the game and some of the goals. Gael Kakuta scored a hat-trick so it was a good day for him but also for me, as a schoolboy,' he said.

'Also the game at Aston Villa in the semi-final was very special. Although I wasn't involved in the game, it was a great win away at their stadium. We were all celebrating in front of the Chelsea TV cameras after the game in the changing room, it was excellent.'

Bruma on the other hand picks out a more personal moment. 'The first game. I didn't know I was going to start, but it is a very big competition and I had no idea, it was two weeks before the game, and it's one of the biggest cups, on Sky Sports sometimes so it was nice to know I was able just to play.

'The final too was a big moment. It was disappointing after being 1-0 up and we started the game well, but City were a very good side. If you lose against a bad side then you are more disappointed but they were better than us that day.

They had Daniel Sturridge, Vladimir Weiss on the right wing, so it was good. But it shows what we have to aim for and some of our players are now on the first team bench, for example Michael Woods and Miroslav Stoch have been recently, so everyone is progressing and hopefully they get a chance soon too.'

Of course, ask any of those involved and they would swap a Youth Cup winners' medal for graduation into Luiz Felipe Scolari's squad, but the habit of picking up silverware will only aid that progression.

You can watch tonight's match live on Chelsea TV, with coverage starting from 6.15pm exclusively on Sky channel 421.