WHEN the Blues beat Southampton to win the FA Youth Cup in 2005 the future looked bright for both clubs - and the youngsters involved.But Town have slipped into the lower regions of the Championship and the Saints find themselves in League One on the back of severe financial problems.

Elvin King

WHEN the Blues beat Southampton to win the FA Youth Cup in 2005 the future looked bright for both clubs - and the youngsters involved.

But Town have slipped into the lower regions of the Championship and the Saints find themselves in League One on the back of severe financial problems.

Surprisingly only Owen Garvan from the Ipswich squad that lifted the trophy after a 3-2 aggregate final win will feature when the two teams meet in the fourth round of the FA Cup at St Mary's Stadium this afternoon (kick-off 3pm).

Ironically, Garvan was unwell and in hospital when substitute Ed Upson struck an extra time Portman Road winner to clinch the aggregate win.

Lloyd James and Adam Lallana are the only players from the Saints 2005 youth squad to be involved today.

Upson is on the fringe of the Town first team and Liam Trotter is also still on the books and out on loan at Millwall, but everybody else has moved on including Billy Clarke, who was injured for the final, Danny Haynes and Shane Supple.

The Ipswich youth squad that season when Bryan Klug was overseeing the Blues academy scheme was Supple, David Blackmore, Andy Reynolds, Michael Synnott, James Krause, Sammy Moore, Chris Casement, Aidan Collins, Fraser Beveridge, Garvan, Cathal Lordan, Clarke, Darryl Knights, Liam Craig, Jack Haverson, Charlie Sheringham, Stuart Ainsley, Haynes, Trotter and Blair Hammond.

On their way to the final Town beat Portsmouth, Stoke, Aston Villa, Colchester United and Tottenham.

Casement is now playing in Scotland with Moore in the Dover Athletic side chasing promotion from the Blue Square South. Ainsley is now playing for his home town Felixstowe and Walton United in the Ridgeons League.

From the Saints youth side of five seasons Theo Walcott is at Arsenal after a �12million transfer and Gareth Bale is with Tottenham.

Martin Cranie played for Coventry at Portman Road last weekend while Nathan Dyer is at Swansea and David McGoldrick at Nottingham Forest.