​Campbell relishing repeat high-stakes Methody clash in Schools' Cup

The Belfast derby is a repeat of last year’s final – which Methody won with a late penalty.

“From our perspective we have a number of players back and Methody have a few key players back, which will level itself out,” said Campbell head coach Jonny Cupitt. “We have a lot of upper sixths in our team but we also have three starting fifth-formers so there is a blend of experience and youth in there which has gone well for us to date.

“The fifth-formers have experience winning Medallion Shields so they can fall back on that bit of experience, they have guys around that that have been involved in big cup games in the last number of years, there are six or seven players involved in provincial and national set-ups...so they are happy in that environment and they are very much looking forward to the game.

“Last year, that’s sport, you just take every year as it is, you can build on what has been created the year before, it is a new group but there are some familiar faces.

“They are a tight-knit group that work extremely hard and, on their day, they have the ability to beat any team in the competition.

“We’ve had four or five guys who have come back into the squad over the last six weeks which means the competition for places has been massive and it has pushed standards throughout the squad.

“You’re in the cup environment and it is nearly like you are in that semi-final/final environment in those first couple of rounds and for the players to experience that and perform the way they did...it shows how the team has developed throughout January.

“We have played southern sides and we went on tour and played the Scottish champions and beat them, it’s playing those top-level sides then playing Ballymena and Sullivan...the build-up we need in order to succeed in this competition this year.

“I think we learned from it, the Ballymena game came down to the last kick, Sullivan was a more satisfactory performance.

"As all cup games go, there is always going to be 15-to-20 minutes where you are under pressure.

“But we kept our composure there and in the second half we just stuck to our processes and gameplan and we were very happy.”