Cherry Orchard are set to face St. Kevin's to decide the winners of this year's FAI U-17 Cup final at Richmond Park tomorrow.

Cherry Orchard, eight-time winners of the competition, will face their Dublin rivals St. Kevin's, who've won the competition on two occasions, consecutive winners in 2011-12 & 2012-13, to decide the winners of this year's FAI U17 Cup.

Cork side College Corinthians emerged victorious in last year's final against Corduff with the title set for a Dublin club in this year's edition of the competition which was first played in 1980.

Match Details

Competition: FAI U17 2022/23 Cup Final
Fixture: Cherry Orchard v St. Kevin's FC
Date: Saturday, May 6
Kick-off: 2pm
Venue: Richmond Park
TV: Live on FAITV* - Watch here
*Please be aware it will be a Pixellot production with no commentary
Match Programme: Download below

FAI Under 17 Cup Final - Match Programme.pdf

Match Officials

Referee: Andrew Bruton
Assistant Referee 1: Niall McLoughlin
Assistant Referee 2: Lorcan Colreavy
Fourth Official: Jake Rossiter

Cherry Orchard - Path to the Final

Preliminary Round
Portmarnock AFC 1-8 Cherry Orchard FC
Round One
Cherry Orchard 3-0 Castleknock Celtic
Round Two
Cherry Orchard 4-2* (pen) Home Farm FC
Round Three
Cherry Orchard FC 6-0 Malahide United
Round Four
Stella Maris FC 1-2 Cherry Orchard FC
Quarter-Final
Evergreen FC 2-3 Cherry Orchard FC
Semi-Final
College Corinthians 3-4 Cherry Orchard FC (AET)

St. Kevin's FC - Route to the Final

Round One
Greystones United AFC 1-5 St. Kevin's FC
Round Two
St. Kevin's FC 5-1 Cabinteely
Round Three
Midleton 1-5 St. Kevin's FC
Round Four
St. Kevin's FC 5-0 Ballyraine FC
Quarter-Final
Knocknacarra FC 1-2 St. Kevin's FC
Semi-Final
St. Kevin's FC 3-2 Crumlin United

Manager Insight - Cherry Orchard Manager Gareth Cronin

"It's been an extraordinary run to the final really. We've had extra-time and penalties against Home Farm, extra-time against Stella and then to go down to College Corinthians in the semi-final and win, it's been incredible.

"We've had no easy games and I suppose that has made it much more memorable and I'm sure the players, regardless of what happens tomorrow, will remember this for the rest of their lives.

"The semi-final was amazing, we started really well but had 10 bad minutes, conceded two goals and it is all doom and gloom. But then, Ger Crawley scored the best goal of his career and it got us going again. To come back from 2-0 down against College Corinthians and to go on to win, it was fantastic. I'm from Cork so it was particularly sweet for me.

"A strong mentality might have been something missing in the past but the team have shown incredible strength of character to come through the competition and make the final. It is a big day for them, obviously it has been postponed due to the weather but I think it has worked in everyone's favour now with the conditions. We'll be telling them to stay strong and don't get too excited on the day and we're looking forward to it."

Manager Insight - St. Kevin's Manager Greg Victory

"It's been really good, the squad is in a strong place and it is a final so the players are really excited about it.

"In the run-up to the final, we've had Midleton down in Cork, Ballyraine in Donegal, a trip to Knocknacarra and then finally, we played Crumlin in the semi-finals, a great local derby. They beat us in the league so we knew it was going to be tough. We got it back to 2-2 and went on to win the game but a great game between two really good teams in and out of possession.

"The travelling is a great experience for the players though, sometimes it can be a disadvantage but look, sometimes it puts the pressure on the home teams but it will be an experience the players can take on in their future. A lot of the lads will be looking to step up to the National League next year and a cup run like this is a great experience for them to do that.

"To play at Richmond Park is great and it is a real testament to the FAI in how highly they regard this competition and it will make memories for life for the players, in whatever they go on to do.

"It will be a really tight game, Cherry Orchard are a really good side, right with us at the top of the league. Remarkably, we haven't played them in the league yet this season but we did in the League Cup where it went all of the way to penalties and we narrowly lost. I feel it will be a similar game, small margins to separate the two teams so a moment could win or lose it. We're naturally confident but also, we've got a healthy respect for the opposition."

Cherry Orchard - Squad List

1. Devon Boland - Goalkeeper
2. Sean Doherty - Defender
3. Dane Mahon - Defender
4. Troy O'Dowd - Forward
5. Josh Okagbue - Defender
6. Jack Cronin - Midfielder
7. Kian Matthews - Midfielder
8. Even Reel - Midfielder
9. Emmanuel Ayoola - Forward
10. Ger Crawley - Defender
11. Adam Byrne - Midfielder
12. Callum Dalton - Defender
13. Sean McInerney - Midfielder
14. Reagan Umeh - Forward
15. Eseosa Shawn Ighodaro - Midfielder
16. Chinedu Orji - Midfielder
17. Harry Philips - Defender
18. Mark Butler - Goalkeeper

Manager - Gareth Cronin

St. Kevin's FC - Squad List

Goalkeepers: Calvin Fennelly, Matthew Onome, Theo Hennessy
Defenders: Adetunji Olusanya, Logan O'Connell, Luke O'Connor, Sean Curran, Marcus O'Keeffe, Erikas Dragasuis
Midfielders: Evan McGee, Idris Olafimihan, Jack McDermott, Thalaga Segoapa, Daniel Cheung, Ryan Fagan, Callum Doolan
Forwards: Jack Allen, Jamie Cummins, Karl Kearns, Sam Dunne

Manager - Greg Victory