COLERAINE U18s will face Linfield Rangers in the 72nd Irish FA Youth Cup Final (now the Harry Cavan Youth Cup)…

The game will take place at Mill Meadow, Castledawson, home of Moyola Park FC on Friday, April 24 (KO 7.45pm).

The ground will be open from 6.45pm and admission is pay at the turnstile – adults £6, concessions £4.

The game will be played to a finish. Should the scores be level at full-time, extra-time (10 minutes each half) will ensue. If the game is still not decided the winners will be determined by kicks from the penalty mark.

The young Bannsiders will be attempting to win the IFA Youth Cup for the 8th time and the first in 20 years when coincidentally they defeated Linfield Rangers (3-2) in the final at Ballymena Showgrounds.

Coleraine’s previous successes were – 

  • 1967/68 as Coleraine Rangers
  • 1969/70 as Coleraine Rangers
  • 1973/74 as Coleraine Rangers
  • 1974/75 as Coleraine Rangers
  • 1992/93 as Coleraine Colts
  • 1993/94 as Coleraine Colts
  • 2002/03 as Coleraine Youth

Their seven final victories to date make Coleraine the most successful provincial club in the history of the competition, inaugurated in the 1952/53 season.

Ahead of Friday’s final, colerainefc.com caught up with Ronan O’Donnell who will be leading the team into the showpiece decider for his thoughts.

Q1. What’s your thoughts heading into the final? I’m sure it’s been a great journey to get here and you’d love to take that final step?

Firstly, I’m extremely proud of the players in terms of reaching the final.

I believe it’s the first time in quite a number of years that the club has reached the final, so it goes to show how difficult a competition it is to do well in.

Our journey started back in October when we played Cookstown Youth at home and to be fair all the rounds we progressed through, we have had to show different sides to our games.

Some games we were able to showcase our attacking talents, whereas in others, we had to dig in and find a way to get through to the next round.

Taking that final step would be a fantastic achievement for the players who have worked tirelessly all year.

Q2. What does reaching a final like this do for the development of young players? A real team effort by players, coaches and parents?

A cup competition like this provides them with a different angle to approach games.

In our week-to-week league games, we are mainly looking for them to develop and progress to the next level, whereas a prestigious cup competition like this, it gives the players a different perspective in terms of finding ways to winning games which is more like first-team environment.

Ultimately that’s where we want to push our players is in around the first-team at the club or further afield.

Youth football in general is a real team effort from the players who train hard week in week out, to coaches who try to juggle their own personal/work life and finally the parents who can often be the unsung heroes. Whether it’s playing taxi driver or kitman there is endless jobs for parents to do in the background that can sometimes go unnoticed by players or coaches.

Q3. I’m sure you’re full of respect for the opposition? What type of game are you expecting?

Yes, huge respect for them. They reached the final of the competition last year only to miss out on penalties, so I’m sure there is a lot of motivation for them to put it right this year.

They’ve also a lot of players who has been in around their first-team and U20s squads this year, which shows the level of opposition we will be facing but equally we’ve a few players in a similar position so whilst we are full of respect for Linfield, we go there believing that we can compete with them.

Any final brings nerves and excitement. I just hope that both sets of players showcase the best of their abilities and come the end of the game the best team on the night comes away with the trophy. Finals can often be won by either a moment of magic or a mistake, and there will be plenty of players on both teams capable of bringing that moment of magic.

Q4. How great would it be to see as many Coleraine supporters there as possible to cheer the boys on?

I’ve lost count of the many times this year that Ruaidhri and the first-team players have come out to praise the supporters, whether it was Fleetwood in pre-season or Windsor for the semi-final win against Larne, so it shows what it means to them and the help it has to give that extra edge.

If we could even get a fraction of that support it would mean so much to the players. I know there will be a big crowd there between mums/dads/grandmas/grandads etc but to have any extra support will mean so much to the players and hopefully give them a bit extra as it will be a very tough game