THE players will be different, but the surroundings and the style on show will be familiar when Rangers take to the field at Ibrox tonight.

There will once again be a trophy at stake but it will be the Light Blues’ Under-17s who have their sights set on the silverware.

The prize on offer is the Glasgow Cup but it is the lure of a shot at first team glory that will inspire the Gers kids as they look to catch the eye of manager Mark Warburton with victory over Celtic.

The Englishman has implemented a new philosophy of play at Ibrox and Murray Park this term and Under-17 boss Billy Kirkwood is keen to give his Auchenhowie hopefuls as rounded a football education as possible.

He said: “The gaffer and Davie Weir have come in and changed things and they want all the teams playing in the same way so those methods filter down into the 20s and the 17s.

“The 17s have done really well and hopefully we are giving them the nuts and bolts to move up the ladder and catch the gaffer’s eye and get in the first team. For the whole Academy, it would be great if they could go on and play for the Rangers first team.

“It is about broadening their horizons and their football knowledge so we don’t want to just play teams in Scotland all the time. We want to be in different environments.

“We have been down to Liverpool for a tournament, we have played Spurs and good quality teams and we will continue to do that. We will go on trips in the summer.

“We are trying to give the boys as much exposure as we can to different players, different types of players and different styles of football that will give them a good education and stand them in good stead for when they hopefully become Rangers first team players.

“There are a whole raft of them who will progress through into the 20s next year and that is what we are looking for.

“The challenge I have always set them is to get a contract, get into the 20s, to get another contract and to catch the manager’s eye. They have been round training with the first team squad so they are getting that experience.”

Rangers will welcome Celtic to Ibrox this evening aiming to avoid a third-straight defeat in the final after Old Firm losses at Hampden and Parkhead in recent years.

A crowd of around 3000 will watch the action unfold as the kids from both sides of the city look to become a derby hero.

And Kirkwood is confident his side will reap the rewards of the experience as they look to clinch a winner’s medal on home soil.

He said: “The way the Academy is set up, we are looking for development all the time and the bigger the game the better.

"The more chances they get to play in a stadium and against the best teams the better because it will help them develop a lot more.

“Hopefully they get the experience of playing at Ibrox and take it in their stride and it helps them move up to the 20s and, more importantly, into the first team.

“It is a long-term project in terms of getting boys through but the more games they can get in these environments the better it is going to be for them. The more games they get at Ibrox, or Parkhead or Hampden, it will only benefit them.

“If you play against better players, it will help you improve as well. It is an opportunity to play in a cup final against Celtic at Ibrox and you don’t get a better stage than that.

“Hopefully the lads can show against Celtic what they can do and prove that they can impress and move up. Hopefully that is what we are going to be doing in the Academy for years to come.”