Dylan McGeouch sampled the Glasgow Cup as he pushed through the ranks at Rangers and he believes it is the first taste of pressure in the lives of youngsters at the Old Firm.

McGeouch has been a part of Neil Lennon's first-team squad since he quit Rangers last summer and headed to the opposite side of the city.

As such, he has not featured in the tournament with Celtic – the club he initially started out at, having moved to Gers some years previously – but as the Old Firm Under-17s prepare to go head-to-head for the old cup next month, McGeouch has urged players to make the most of the opportunity.

"I played in it with Rangers, but never with Celtic," he said. "You always get a decent crowd, especially when it's an Old Firm final. It's a great wee taste of things and I am sure that for any of the lads who are involved in this one coming up, they'll be desperate to go out there and show what they can do.

"It's one of the first games you play in when there is a lot of nerves and a decent crowd.

"I played for Rangers against Celtic and it was a big thing for me initially. I settled quickly, though, and enjoyed it."

While the final itself takes place at Ibrox on Monday, April 16, the tournament has already provided an opportunity for kids to enjoy training sessions with players from Celtic, Clyde, Partick Thistle, Queen's Park and Rangers.

A total of 24 schools across the city have taken part in coaching sessions and McGeouch was on hand week at St Anne's School in the East End of Glasgow, something he clearly relished.

A Glasgow Cup football festival involving the schools will be held at Toryglen today, where a total of 2,400 tickets for the final will be handed out to pupils, and Hoops youngster McGeouch is delighted to play his part in getting kids to pull on their boots.

"Taking part in any kind of sport is good," he said. "We need to keep kids as active as we can.

"It is great if we get kids who love football and want to get involved, but even for those who fall away from the game, we need to try and make sure they are still getting involved in some kind of sport and activity.

"We want to have a city that has active, fit and healthy kids. Football is a great way for them to keep fit and have a bit of fun at the same time."