ACADEMY director Huw Jennings reckons the 2005 FA Youth Cup final will be a footballing spectacle.

Saints host Ipswich Town at St Mary's in the first leg tonight (7.45pm), with the return leg at Portman Road on Friday.

And Jennings believes that both games will be a treat for what he hopes will be a 15,000 crowd - as well as the Sky TV viewers.

He said: "Ipswich are a very good passing team. They play a very good brand of attacking football and the country will see a good pair of finals.

"It was a battle against Wolves, who were very determined.

"Wolves' strengths are excellent organisation and they're a credit to their club, but the games against Ipswich will be very different, they will be more open and free flowing which is what people want to see."

Ipswich won their semi final 4-1 over two legs, including the 2-1 second leg win at White Hart Lane last Wednesday.

They have two players in their side who have played for the first team this season, including striker Darryl Knights, an England under-17s teammate of Theo Walcott, and centre half Aidan Collins.

Ironically, they may also name Andy Reynolds in their squad with the Lowestoft Town goalkeeper also set to play for Suffolk v Hampshire in the under-19 county youth final at Portman Road on May 7.

But the bad news for Ipswich is that they are without striker Billy Clarke, the top scorer in the Tractor Boys' FA Youth Cup run, with a goal in every round except the fifth.

Clarke suffered a knee injury in the second leg of the semi-final and will miss both legs of the final.

Teddy Sheringham's 16-year-old son, Charlie, could come into contention to replace him. Sheringham junior is a 16-year-old striker but many believe his future is as a midfielder.

Clarke's replacement tonight is more likely to be right-winger Danny Haynes with Ipswich considering the possibility of lining up with a five-man midfield to negate Saints' threat at St Mary's.

Saints, meanwhile, will dedicate the FA Youth Cup to coach Georges Prost, who has been diagnosed with cancer, if they win it.

Jennings added: "There are two people I was really thrilled for after the win against Wolves and that's Georges Prost and Steve Wigley because both of them have had a difficult time this season in different ways.

"Georges will be having some treatment in the next few weeks and will hopefully be back with us in July and I know how much these players want to win for him.

"We were texting each other through the game. I know how thrilled he is, he has great faith in this group of players as we all do."

There was a sense of deja vu at Molineux, where Saints led 2-0 on aggregate at half-time before going 3-2 down.

Then Leon Best scored a 118th minute equaliser - his fifth goal of the tournament - and Saints won the penalty shoot-out 5-4.

But for a while it was reminiscent of the under-18s' fifth round heartbreak at Tranmere last year, where Saints lost on penalties after leading 3-1.

Jennings added: "What really shone through on Wednesday was the spirit of the players in terms of laying the ghost of Tranmere to bed. We have to recognise that we made mistakes that caused the game to go to penalties at Wolves but let's not take away the spirit and the desire of this group of players.

"There must have been a few people who thought the game was over when Wolves, with ten men, took the lead. But funnily enough we stepped up a gear and saw the true determination individually and collectively of people who don't believe they're ever beaten."

Saints are 2-5 favourites to lift the FA Youth Cup for the first time in the club's history, while Ipswich are 7-4.

And they are likely to make one change from the side that beat Wolves, with Sebastian Wallis-Tayler replacing Kyle Critchell, who broke his ankle at Molineux, at left back.

Saints (probable): McNeil, Richards, Cranie, Rudd, Wallis-Tayler, Walcott, Sparv, James, Dyer, McGoldrick, Best.