Cork City to face Bohemians at Turner's Cross in U17 league final

Turner’s Cross is set to host the Bank Holiday Monday show down between home side Cork City and visitors Bohemian’s in the SSE Airtricity League Under-17s decider.

City finished third in the Elite Southern Division behind Shamrock Rovers and Southern rivals Waterford and required penalties to settle both their quarter-final match against Finn Harps, and their semi-final tie away to Galway.

"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,” said Cork City manager Paul Bowdren.

"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 it’s 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.”

Like Cork, Bohemians also finished the league campaign in third before dispatching bitter rivals Shamrock Rovers thanks to an 111th minute Mitchell Byrne winner in the quarter-finals. They booked their spot in the final after seeing off Waterford in a thrilling 4-3 win at the RSC.

"We're just getting the final preparations done and the players are absolutely buzzing for the game,” Gypsies manager Jimmy Moulds said ahead of 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."

The game is set for a 3pm kick-off with Cork looking to emulate the success of their senior team and lift the second trophy in three days at the Cross while Bohs will look to spoil their party and bring home their first honour at underage level.