For those of a certain age, Reserve-team games being staged at Highbury used to be a common occurrence, although during the latter years at the famous old stadium, fewer non first-team matches were held at the ground.

Since the move to Emirates Stadium, however, there have been several memorable occasions involving the youngsters at Arsenal’s new home. The FA Youth Cup games against Cardiff City and Manchester United in the stadium’s debut season, which included Kieran Gibbs going up against a then unfamiliar Aaron Ramsey, the run to the FA Youth Cup success of 2008/09, when Manchester City and Liverpool were dispatched of by a side containing the likes of Jack Wilshere, Emmanuel Frimpong and Francis Coquelin, and the day when the Premier Academy League title was retained the following season with a madcap 5-3 victory over Nottingham Forest.

There was also a friendly with Chelsea last season following a first-team fixture, but this past week has seen second-string games staged at the ground for the first time. Arsenal’s youngsters certainly seemed to benefit from playing in such surroundings, and they were backed by sizeable crowds for both games against Bolton Wanderers and Blackburn Rovers, even if supporters were made to sit in the upper tier yesterday.

This is the stage on which the players involved in these fixtures will be hoping to perform on a more regular basis in the coming years, and, in young German Thomas Eisfeld, there appears to be a player more than capable of making a long-term breakthrough. Excellently adept at making dangerous, incisive runs into the opposition penalty area, he has scored with regularity since joining the club from Borussia Dortmund and, if he manages to steer clear from injury, may find himself promoted sooner rather than later.

Martin Angha, who replaced Hector Bellerin at right-back yesterday, has, perhaps, been guilty of being a little over-exuberant at times during his Arsenal career to date, but the Swiss used his searing pace and good crossing ability to impressive effect yesterday, and was part of the first-team squad for the Markus Liebherr Cup this pre-season.

Chuba Akpom also continued to work hard up front and it is clear that those in senior positions at the club have much faith in the 16-year-old, especially given that he is already starting for the U21s and that Sanchez Watt, a player five years his senior, was forced to move into the left-wing position yesterday in order to accommodate him.

Watt is one of the elder statesmen of this U21 setup, and having experienced four loan spells of varying degrees of success, it now seems certain that his future lies away from the club, despite him signing a new contract following a hot scoring streak at the start of last season. The same would also appear to apply to Craig Eastmond, who having been born in late 1990, was only able to feature yesterday as an over-age player. A better performer than many give him credit for, Eastmond, like the injured Henri Lansbury, looks likely to be left out of Arsenal’s 25-man Premier League squad when it is submitted this week should there be no significant departures.

It was also pleasing yesterday to see Kyle Ebecilio, the young Dutchman, produce another impressive cameo performance off the bench. The 18 year old has rather flattered to deceive since his move from Feyenoord two years ago, but he ended last season in good form before performing well at right-back for the first-team in pre-season. A place in the squad for the Capital One Cup is likely to await.

Finally, the goalkeeping crisis currently sweeping the club is beginning to reach unanticipated conclusions, with the first-team, the U21s and the U18s all feeling the repercussions. As far as the senior side is concerned, Wojciech Szczesny will miss today’s trip to face Stoke City after failing a fitness test, whilst back-up Lukasz Fabianski is not yet over his back problem. That means Vito Mannone, who made his Arsenal debut against Tony Pulis’ side, will be granted a rare start and Argentinian goalkeeper Damian Martinez, who is currently suspended from U21 duty following his red card against Bolton, will make the bench.

James Shea played the full 90 minutes for the U21s yesterday but, with Reice Charles-Cook injured and Martinez unavailable, 43-year-old goalkeeping coach Tony Roberts was named on the bench as cover. The U18s were then forced to bring in young Reading goalkeeper Stuart Moore on an emergency loan, with U15 stopper Ethan Ross his back-up in the absence of Ryan Huddart.