U17s aim for Glasgow Cup glory against Celtic

Just a few days before the senior sides go head-to-head in the Scottish Cup semi-finals, the Old Firm’s Under 17 sides will face off tonight in the Glasgow Cup final at Firhill and Rangers U17 boss Billy Kirkwood was looking forward to, potentially, getting his hands on some silverwear in the televised game.

Speaking to RangersTV, the under 17s manager said: "They’re looking forward to it. They’ve done exceptionally well this year. Ourselves, Celtic, Hamilton and Aberdeen have been nip and tuck in the league and we’ve gone through our Glasgow Cup section unbeaten so we’re looking forward to the final at Firhill.

With a number of the under 17s regularly involved in Graeme Murty’s under 20s, Kirkwood was pleased with the impact they have had in the Development League, revealing: "That’s always been the kind of culture we’ve tried to create at Rangers’ training ground. Zak Rudden has done exceptionally well; Jack Thomson has done well; Jordan Houston has done exceptionally well and Billy Gilmour has been getting a lot of praise and press coverage so they have all done exceptionally well."

"They have stood the test of time with the U20s and, with the new manager, some have been round training with the first team so everything’s looking nice and rosy and it would be nice to get our hands on the trophy."

Kirkwood revealed his happiness for the members of his side who have been involved in with Pedro Caixinha’s squad on a day-to-day basis, admitting: "I’m absolutely delighted and you can feel the energy when they come back; it rubs off on everyone in the academy. It’ll be more pleasing when we see them playing for Rangers’ first-team and playing regularly. Myles (Beerman) has been around there and it gives everyone a big incentive to see that opportunity is there for them and our job is to make sure these boys are fit and ready to go around and perform."

Tonight’s game will be live on STV Glasgow (Sky 117, Virgin 159 & Freeview 23), kicking off at 7pm, and is behind closed doors.