The side, incidentally, contains two players who were on the bench at Wolves in Chris Cohen and Mark Noble - so the match provides an opportunity to cast your eye over the next latest players to break through into the spotlight.
"The youth cup is a big carrot for us, with a home tie and a home tie to come if we can progress," he says of the game, which kicks off at Upton Park at 7 o'clock.
"We must not take Chester-le-Street as a foregone conclusion, because it will not be.
"It is a massive game for them as it is for us, and hopefully we can come out on top and get in the next round.
"It is a great opportunity for the boys and you hope to take another step further with the teams cut in half every round. and you have to keep progressing.
"We got into the last eight last year, it would be nice to get in the last four this time round - and you just never know after that."
Tony reveals that Alan Pardew is well versed in the activities of the youth side of the club and says:
"Alan takes a great interest in the Academy; he wants to know what is going on and who he feels are the best players - and he is ready and he is eager to push those young players into his squad, which he has done with Anton on a permanent basis now and with Chris Cohen and Mark Noble, who were on the bench yesterday and train regularly with the first team.
"He is keen for the Academy to carry on with its fine traditions."
Much is expected of West Ham to carry on that tradition, and it is a challenge which Tony relishes, but he smiles:
"It doesn't get any easier - it gets harder.
"But fortunately our record is good and although we are under no pressure to churn them out we do know that is our job and myself, Jimmy Hampson, Paul Heffer, Kevin Keen, Jimmy Tindall, etc. are forever on the lookout to find the next star.
"That is our role and our job; we have no guaranteed right to do it each year but we will constantly strive to keep finding and producing them."
West Ham are without defender Tommy Laws, who has a broken foot; he was Tony Carr's man of the match in the last round against Huddersfield.
If West Ham progress against Chester-le-Street, who beat Derby in the last round, next up will be Nottingham Forest at home.
TEAM: Matthew Reed, Jemel Henry, Danny Bunce, Liam Parrington, Darren Blewitt, Chris Cohen, Sam Wright, Mark Noble, Sos Yao, Tony Stokes, Kyle Reid, Hogan Ephraim.
Subs: Darren Behcet [gk], Darren Brady, Liam Wright, Marce Collington, Oliver Allen, Bobby Singh.