MIDDLESBROUGH'S young guns hit the trophy trail tonight with veteran defender Colin Cooper claiming: "If they win it will rank alongside the club's Carling Cup success."

Boro go into the second leg of the FA Youth Cup final at the Riverside tonight in pole position having recorded a 3-0 win at Villa Park on Thursday night.

If Mark Proctor and Dave Parnaby's youth team do manage to overcome the Villans then it will be the first time the Teessiders have lifted the prestigious trophy.

Success tonight will also make amends for last year's disappointment when Boro lost out to Manchester United in the final.

And it will be the second piece of glory enjoyed by the club this season following Steve McClaren's team's success in the Carling Cup in February - the first major trophy ever won by Boro.

And Cooper, who was a product of the club's youth system before making his full debut in 1985, believes the youngsters' performances on the pitch are proof that Boro are heading in the right direction.

"This club always has had a tradition of bringing the youth on," said Cooper. "Dave and Mark Proctor deserve a huge pat on the back. It's a fantastic achievement over the past few years to get into a semi-final and two finals.

"We are seeing the results of great work because two or three of the lads have been in first team squad - a few others have made debuts in recent years.

"The Premier League is a big, big league and you need international stars. But for a club like Middlesbrough, with the tradition of breeding youngsters, it's terrific.

"Hopefully this time around they can bring the trophy back because that will be as big for the club as it was for the first team's success."

Cooper and the rest of the first team will not be at the Riverside to witness the final as they all flew out to Spain for a few days' training straight after the Wolves game on Saturday.

But despite reaching the Youth Cup final, as the likes of Wayne Rooney and David Beckham have in the past, Cooper has warned the Academy players to keep their feet on the ground.

"Hopefully they won't take it all for granted because I have seen in the past that kids have said 'I played in the same youth cup winning team as such and such.' They are no longer in the game," said the 37-year-old.

"Hopefully these lads here will take their chance and move on from here and not just say we have won the Youth Cup. They have to say the next stage is reserves, then the first team. This club has always had a tradition of bringing the youngsters through and hopefully that tradition will carry on long into the future and long after I've finished playing.

"A lot of the lads would have gone to the match because we like to rub our experience off on them. But unfortunately we are going away. It's a big night and they have to make sure the nerves don't get the better of them."

Boro boss McClaren is also delighted with progress shown at Academy level since he took over in the summer of 2001.

And what pleases him the most is that tonight's line-up will consist predominantly of players from this region.

"If they are homegrown it's even better because they are the core of the club. Fans and players can associate with the players coming through the ranks," said McClaren.

"What we came here to do was built a football club where success would be sustained. That means you need a good youth policy. We have local boys here. They are all brought up in their own environment. That can prove as successful as buying in talent."

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