Ards Colts will take to the field at Dixon Park on Wednesday night against Cliftonville Strollers as they try to win the IFA Youth League Cup for the first time.

The game will bring the curtain down on the most successful season in years for the Ards under 18 side, who for a time this season led their section of the Carnegie Youth League. A latter season run in the League Cup competition has ensured the players stayed focused right until the end, with all efforts now concentrating on winning this trophy.

Lee Forsythe

For team manager Lee Forsythe the game is a culmination of four years work with players Ards have brought from under 15 level. He explained, "A few of these players have come right through from Ards Youth, some have taken part in the Milk Cup along the way and for a number of them this will be their last game at under 18 level."

Several of the players are well known to Ards followers from their fleeting spells in the first team. On Saturday past Tommy Kincaid took five of the squad to the game with Coagh United, and Lee is adamant that none of them looked out of place. "Once again Ryan Newberry was very impressive," he says. "Then keeper Jason Mooney made a few good saves and Kerri Grant, on his first team debut, looked confident and only improved as the game went on. And then there are others who haven't been chosen for the first team, but so easily could."

While several of the Colts were lining up against Coagh on Saturday, opponents Cliftonville were still locked in a battle to try and win the Youth League section. Eventually they fell to fellow title contenders Ballymoney, meaning the league will go down the final game. Despite the young Reds' side having beaten Ards twice this season in the league, coach Lee isn't fearing for his team.

"I saw Cliftonville against Larne a week ago and didn't see anything to fear from them. Yes, we've lost to them twice, but we've a lot of players to come in, many that Cliftonville wont have seen before, Ryan Newberry for example. But we'll give them respect, I know they have quick players up front, so our tactics will need to be right."

The Colts team have finished the season strongly and have been unbeaten since mid-January. Their last league game against Linfield a week ago was won 3-2 with Lee able to field what he calls his strongest team for the first time this season. Lee, who was a player with Carrick Rangers in his late teens, says he'll keep the preparation for the final simple.

"We'll train on Monday night and then will get together for a pre-match meal on Wednesday. I'll be sending the players out with a simple goal. In the two years this squad has been together we had never beaten Linfield or Cliftonville. We finally got Linfield last week, so now it's Cliftonville next."

The final is at Dixon Park, Ballyclare on Wednesday night, kicking off at 7.30pm.

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