Cork City welcome Bohemians to Turner's Cross for the SSE Airtricity League U17 Final on Monday. It is been another fantastic SSE Airtricity League U17 season with the season set to come to it's final conclusion on Monday, October 30th at Turner's
Cork City welcome Bohemians to Turner's Cross for the SSE Airtricity League U17 Final on Monday.
It is been another fantastic SSE Airtricity League U17 season with the season set to come to it's final conclusion on Monday, October 30th at Turner's Cross with kick-off at 3pm.
Cork City finished third in the SSE Airtricity League U17 Elite Southern Division to qualify for the final stages of the competition. Cork faced a tough trip to Finn Harps in the quarter-finals but prevailed on penalties after a 3-3 draw and the semi-final was equally exciting.
Cork travelled to Eamonn Deacy Park and claimed a 4-2 victory on penalties after another 3-3 draw to secure a Turner's Cross final.
Cork City U17 manager Paul Bowdren said: "We're really looking forward to it. We've come through two tough games and a tough division to make it to the final so the players can be incredibly proud of their efforts.
"We've had a policy throughout the season to rotate the team and make sure everyone gets game-time on the pitch. We think that's incredibly important so every players has a chance to show what they can do.
"When you consider that, I think it shows how well the players have done to reach this stage of the competition and its going to be great for them, especially considering it is at Turner's Cross.
"We obviously haven't played Bohemians this season but we'll be expecting a tough game seeing as they beat Waterford in the semi-finals. We're really positive though and I'm sure the players will have the belief they can win."
Opponents Bohemians also finished third in the SSE Airtricity League U17 Elite Northern Division to qualify for the final stages of the competition.
They recorded a 1-0 win over Shamrock Rovers in extra time at Tallaght Stadium in the quarter-finals and then won a seven-goal thriller against Waterford to make the final.
Bohemians U17 manager Jimmy Moulds said: "We're just getting the final preparations done and the players are absolutely buzzing for the game.
"We've had a lot of change before and during the season, something like 16 players have moved up or on so we've had to make sure we're on top of the recruitment.
"We've got a first-team manager who believes in the progression of youth and we've seen players from our team get into the first-team this season which is great. That might have made the job a bit more difficult but I think the players who've then stepped up have seen that the path-way is there and encouraged them to press on.
"We're expecting a typical Cork City side, tough to beat but with that little bit of creation as well. They've always got a threat and we've got to be aware of that. We've got a few supporters travelling down which is great and we're really looking forward to it."
