ST JAMES' Academy will hope to make it second time lucky when they contest the final of the Football League Kids Cup for the second year in a row.

The academy, based just a few minutes' walk from Dean Court, will again represent Cherries ahead of Monday's Championship play-off final between Middlesbrough and Norwich.

And after defeat at the hands of Bolton School last year, the academy will hope to go one better this time at the home of English football, where they face a team competing on behalf of Blackburn Rovers.

The head of Cherries' Community Sports Trust, Steve Cuss, said: “It will be a great occasion and a fantastic experience for the boys.

“They have played some great football and shown a faultless attitude throughout the tournament, and, hopefully they can go on and win it.

“They have done ever so well to make it to the final and everyone at the trust, as well as their teachers and parents, would be so proud to see them lift the cup.”

St James' Academy qualified for the final having progressed through a tournament organised by Cuss, which featured 31 schools from the local area.

The academy then travelled to Reading at the end of March to take on teams representing all Championship clubs and successfully wrapped up a final spot for the second year in a row.

The match will take place just hours prior to the play-off final, which is expected to attract a capacity crowd of 90,000.