U21s: Free tickets for United v Sparta Prague

Supporters are invited to get behind our Under-21s team in the opening fixture against Sparta Prague but even though entry to the J. Davidson Stadium is free, tickets must be claimed in advance from Altrincham FC's official website. Access will not be permitted without a ticket.

Kick-off is scheduled for 19:00 BST and it will be intriguing to see how Mark Dempsey's side adapt to a different kind of challenge to the ones posed on a regular basis in Premier League 2.

Most recently, the young Reds were involved in a typically hard-fought affair against Wolverhampton Wanderers at Carrington and Dempsey was naturally very pleased to see his players come from behind twice to win 3-2 - the team's first league triumph this season, after six score draws but only three defeats.

"I'm delighted for everybody because it's the first win and they've deserved that on the evidence of the last few weeks," said Dempsey, in his post-match interview with MUTV. "Well done to them all, they put a shift in.

"We showed a lot of resolve, a lot of character. I think we look fit as a team, and I thought there were some outstanding performances in terms of the attitude and the physical output. All in all, it was a pleasing Saturday."

United's goals were all scored in the last quarter of the game, through Joe Hugill, Shola Shoretire and finally right-back Marc Jurado, who fired home the winner with just two minutes to spare.

The side was captained by the returning Teden Mengi at centre-back, while playing coach Tom Huddlestone brought his vast experience to bear when he came on as a substitute midway through the second half.

Players such as these can now look forward to pitting their wits against overseas opposition, as Sparta Prague visit Altrincham this Wednesday night ahead of our further European tests with AS Monaco at Old Trafford on 11 November and PSV Eindhoven at Leigh Sports Village on 19 December.

This season's Premier League International Cup features 12 of the best Academy sides from PL2 and 12 of the top developmental squads in Europe. The six group winners and two best runners-up go through to the knockout phase and all matches, including the one-legged quarter-final, semi-final and final are all played in England.

The competition was last held in 2018/19, before the coronavirus pandemic. United faced PSV Eindhoven and Paris Saint-Germain as well as fellow English sides Derby County and Reading, while Bayern Munich emerged as the eventual winners.

Good luck to all of our players and coaching staff.