BLACKBURN Rovers Under 21s boss Eric Kinder is relishing tonight’s Under 21s Premier Cup final decider against Southampton at St Mary’s Stadium (7pm).

Rovers held the highly rated and more experienced Saints to a 0-0 draw in last Monday’s first leg at Ewood Park.

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And Kinder, who is sweating over the fitness of Devarn Green, said: “We did extremely well.

“It was always going to be a hard game for us, against an academy that is flying at the moment and producing players left, right and centre.

“We’re a very young side who have found it a bit tough playing in category one of the U21s Premier League but we seem to have saved our best games for the cup.

“The desire and enthusiasm to be successful and make sure that this game goes to a second leg even was admirable.

“We were excellent how we approached the game and we dealt with a very good Southampton team.

“I told the lads before the game that it can’t be won or lost tonight. I was happy with 0-0. It was a very even game, played by two committed teams.

“With a bit of luck we might have been taking a one-goal lead there, with two or three chances late in the second half. It means it’s just a one-off game. It’s a 90 or 120-minute cup final.

“We’ll go with the same plan. We won’t go and defend and hope to catch them on the break. We can’t do that because we’ll get beat. We need to just go there and play our normal game.

“If we get a bit of luck and things go our way then, who knows?

“We won’t change. We haven’t all season. We’ve just gone out and played, tried to develop players so it gives the first-team manager an opportunity to select them for Championship football.

“One thing’s for sure, we’ll have the same commitment, the same energy and desire to go and win the game as we have done in all the games in this competition.”

More than 7,000 tickets have been sold for tonight’s second leg which will be shown live on Sky Sports 1.

And Kinder said: “Playing at a Premier League ground, we’ve done that quite often over the last two years in the U21s Premier League. The ground won’t faze us. We’ve played at some big grounds over the last 12 months so we have no problem about that.

“Live on Sky and a big crowd will be good. The players are looking forward to that. Once the game starts they won’t realise they’re on television, they’ll forget about that and get on with the game. Southampton fans support youth football and it will be an incredible atmosphere. Hopefully, we’ll embrace that and it will spur us on. I’m really looking forward to the game.

“The players got a bit of confidence the other night. They were a little bit wary of who they were playing because of their status in youth football at the moment, but after the game everything is still there to play for.

“We’re all looking forward to it because it’s a good occasion.”

Rovers first-team boss Gary Bowyer will make his way down to Southampton this afternoon after taking training.

And Bowyer said: “I’m delighted for them and they’re right in there fighting.

“I watched the first leg and Southampton had several players who have played in their first team and, apart from David Raya, who has only played the one game for us, I don’t think we did.

“It was a fantastic first half, if you like, they’re still in there, and I wish them all the best tonight and hopefully they can pull it off.”