The destination in view at the end of the road is the same for every one of David McCallum's players. The journeys they take along their respective routes are very different.
Ibrox is the next stop off point this evening. Fittingly, it is Celtic that stand in their way and between Rangers and the Glasgow Cup.
The last Old Firm meeting at youth level came in the aftermath of the Scottish Cup semi-final defeat for Michael Beale's side at Hampden. This latest one comes on the eve of the final Premiership clash of the campaign as the teams that were separated by a single point over the 36 outings of the Lowland League meet once again.
It provides an opportunity for bragging rights to be earned and silverware to be lifted, it is an experience that will feed into the development of the next generation of Ibrox hopefuls. In the big picture, it is a small piece of the puzzle.
"Look at our first team and the level we are at," McCallum, the B Team manager, said. "We played Champions League this year, played in a European final the season before, so there is a big gap there first and foremost.
"You talk about trying to get technically elite players that can handle the ball at the speed the first players move it at. The first experience of that tends to be when we go round as a group or individuals and train with the guys there and they feel that.
"First team players tend to recognise when young lads can do it. They feel that and know that and tend to speak about it and you start to build a noise through that level.
"We want to get the technically elite ones, because they are the ones that will cope better. Thereafter there are so many factors like mentally and how they cope with that environment, because it is a challenge. It is the ability to go and stay there.
"Every journey is not the same and everyone will take a different route. Some will go on loan, some will stay through the system we currently have and go straight through the first team and try and fight their way at those points. It is not a one size fits all but the experience of so many different aspects to hopefully bridge that gap."
The Old Firm final will give supporters a chance to see the best of the Auchenhowie academy in action. If it is anything like the Scottish Youth Cup final last midweek, it will be quite the affair at Ibrox.
But this fixture will just be a snapshot for those that tune in and that will judge the talent on show. The real impressions, and the real improvements, come behind the closed gates of the training centre when Michael Beale, his staff and his players are the ones casting their critical eye.
"People see the game days and that is what a lot of conversations come off the back of, what happens on a game day," McCallum said. "But if we have got five training days a week before we even think about a game day, and if a player gets the opportunity to train with the first team in that spell, then he is starting to build up that picture of who he is in every aspect.
"The players see it, the manager and coaches see it and that is building an opinion and building a profile of who he is going to be. The game days are great, that is the external bit and people see that.
"You talk about outwith the training ground and the walls, the supporters don’t see what the players do on a daily basis or training basis with the B Team group or hopefully with the first team group. When they get to that point, that is where they start to get a feel for who they are going to be."
Rangers finished one place above their Old Firm counterparts in the Lowland League as Spartans took the silverware. In time, it could be a new-look Conference League where the respective Colt sides are playing their football as the search continues for a panacea to the problems at youth level that impact on clubs across the country as well as in Glasgow.
The debate continues over what schedule the top young talents in the country should be asked to work through each season but McCallum is encouraged by the progress his side have made, both individually and collectively, as Rangers continue to assess and analyse.
"I think every game is different," McCallum said. "From our point of view, what we want is the best programme that will challenge the players to the highest level so we can get them to the first team because it is not easy, there is no question.
"It is not easy and it shouldn’t be because you are trying to get into the Rangers first team. Some games have challenged us really well, some games are different.
"If you look at the programme overall, it isn’t just the Lowland League. Look at the UEFA Youth League we experienced this year with some top, top games. We put in some friendly games along the way.
"I don’t think we have focused on that one aspect of it. We will look at each individual game, and some challenges have been different to others, but also the whole programme across the season and try and work out which ones have been the most beneficial."
Each hurdle that is put in the way of McCallum's side at home and abroad is there for a reason. In years to come, occasions such as this could be remembered as the foundations for careers as the squad - captained by left-back Robbie Fraser - attempt to climb up the ladder once again.
There will be no public sale of tickets for the derby clash but Rangers will screen the action live on their YouTube channel as, following wins over Partick Thistle and Queen's Park, the Light Blues aim to retain the silverware that was lifted with a 3-1 victory against the Spiders last term.
"We talk about trying to build and get over the bridge of becoming an academy player to first team level and part of that is the experience of doing it in front of fans," McCallum said. "I think there will be 4,000 fans there and the last time we played there in the league that was 6,000 or 7,000.
"It is great for the players to experience that because it is different. You have got that bit where you feel the support, and it is important for the guys to have that, and you also have the challenge when the support is not with you as well.
"What we have got is a split based on the tickets that have been given out so hopefully the ones that are there with us will give us the support and the players will give them something to come and enjoy as well."
