Some of the best young football talent on the island will be on display when Warwick Football Academy and FC Bascome clash in the Charles Marshall Cup final at Somerset Cricket Club on Saturday (2.30pm).

It will be the second time the teams have met in the under-18 competition after Warwick narrowly defeated Bascome 2-1 in the final matches of the group stage.

Warwick, the champions, eased their way to the final on Monday night with a 5-0 triumph over PHC. The goals came from D'Ari Coddington, Jayshun Headlam, Reza Ziri, Amari Smith and an own goal.

FC Bascome secured their final berth with a 2-0 win over last year’s finalists, Somerset Trojans, with second-half goals from Christian Piney and Jéon Wolfe.

Keishon Smith, the Warwick coach, is excited to have players like Xahvi DeRoza available for the title defence.

“To get to a final is a privilege but for me to get back to a final that you won the previous year and defend is also a great honour,” Smith told The Royal Gazette.

“It shows great commitment towards the programme and the players that we guys have at our disposal. One of the key players for me is Xahvi DeRoza, who’s attending University of New Hampshire.

“Curtis Jackson Jr, the goalkeeper, is playing senior football for Robin Hood. He’s a big part of our under-18 programme. We also have Luke Horan coming back from school. He is another key man in the team.

“One of the key components of the Warwick Football Academy is the team unity. The players that we assemble, the guys that come to the programme that are involved, that transition up into Robin Hood, the team harmony is something that we really cherish.

“We wouldn’t be where we are without the team harmony and that extends not only to the coaching staff and the players but the whole management team behind us.

“Hats off to Richard Todd, Dave Horan and Dennis Brown. These guys have really put things in place for us to be successful.”

Bascome coach Mark Mills is counting on some of the Premier Division talent to combine with the under-15 players and those returning from abroad.

Kydan Browne and Mosiais Mills, from Devonshire Cougars; the St George’s Colts quartet of Isai Gibbons, Daniel Morris, Zach McGuire and Aiden Cumberbatch; as well as Aiden Hidalgo, who plays for X-Roads, are the notable names at Bascome.

“For the boys playing in the Premier Division, it is nice for them to play with their peers,” Mills said.

“It’s a chance to show what they are really about as they have had an outstanding season individually. The younger ones from the under-15 team playing up have also been playing exceptional during this season.”

“The season has been a good one for us. With the holidays here, it gave many of our overseas players an opportunity to get on the field and play,” he added.

“We have Khari Sharrieff, James Morrison, Grant Reese, Jack Fischer, Carter Thomas, Christian Piney, Zhen Wilson, Joshua Smith and Jordan King, who are playing football for their respective overseas schools.

“It’s good for the boys to be back on the island, playing in this competition and it is good for the boys here to have them come back as the level goes up,” he added.

“Jéon Wolfe, Rylan DeSilva, Shia Davis, Brayton Browne and Micah Doran have been playing with the under-18 group, showing their skills and capabilities are just as good at this level of competition.

“Some of them play with the national team as well, which is exceptional. So it is good to see our up-and-coming players as well on the field playing in this competition.

“This season of football has the players finding and making a name not just individually but as a team, which is just as important because it takes a team effort plus dedication to get to the level they are playing today.”