Ely City boss feels players are fully deserving of place in Cambridgeshire Invitation Cup final

Joint Ely City manager Luke McAvoy believes a place in the Cambridgeshire Invitation Cup final is just rewards for his Ely City players.

The Robins, who won the competition in 2018 and 2019, secured themselves a clash with Cambridge United's Development squad at The Abbey on March 29 thanks to a 2-0 win over Newmarket Town in the semi-finals last night.

A goal in either half from leading marksman Ryan Gibbs and substitute Luke Young did the damage, with Ely producing a solid defensive performance throughout the tie.

Joint manager Luke McAvoy said: “The worry was that if tonight hadn’t gone well, that would have finished the season really.

“Some people may have just been waiting for it to end but now everyone is buzzing, it’s given us a massive lift.

“The lads deserve it. They don’t get paid a lot of money but they’re very loyal to us. They’ve had offers from other clubs but they’ve stuck with us.

“All of them work hard, they train well and that’s why they deserve it.

“You can see in the way that we played tonight – we’re a team that works hard and works for each other.

"That’s why it’s a good reward for everyone and not just the players, but all the volunteers at the club as well.”

The clash with Cambridge's youngsters will mark Ely's sixth appearance in the final from the last nine seasons.