U18 Preview: Cardiff City vs. Sheffield Wednesday
Cardiff City’s U18 side host Sheffield Wednesday at USW Sports Park in their penultimate home PDL2 fixture, on Saturday, 30th March – kick-off 11am.
The hosts come into Saturday’s match after beating Leeds United 2-0 away from home two weeks ago, following the postponement of last weekend’s fixture against Bolton Wanderers due to U19 international call-ups.
Entry is free for all, as the young Bluebirds look to further extend their lead at the top of the PDL2 South, with City currently a point ahead of Ipswich Town with a game in hand.
Know Your Opponent
Sheffield Wednesday are currently sat in second in the PDL2 North table, having accumulated 49 points from 23 games this season. Another notable stat from the Owls’ 2018/19 campaign is that they currently have a goal difference of 41, which is unsurpassed across both the PDL2 North and South.
Saturday’s visitors were knocked out of the FA Youth Cup against Stoke City in the third-round of the competition. Wednesday were 2-0 up in the 80th minute, however a spirited fightback from the visitors at Hillsborough, which included three goals in the space of four minutes, led the Potters to an emphatic 3-2 win.
Andy Holdsworth’s side finished in 3rd place last season, missing out on the play-offs by just four points, accumulating 54 points from thirty matches.
Backroom Staff
Sheffield Wednesday’s U18 side are managed by Andy Holdsworth, who came through the ranks at Huddersfield Town, going on to make 231 appearances for the Terriers, scoring six goals. He would then play for Oldham Athletic, Morecambe, Alfreton Town and Guiseley, before retiring in 2015. Holdsworth is assisted by Andy Sharp, who has previous experience at non-league Bottesford Town.
Previous Meetings
City have faced challenges against Wednesday in recent years, having lost the majority of fixtures against their counterparts in recent times, however Saturday will be seen as a chance to change that. The young Bluebirds have only lost four times in the league this season and are yet to be defeated by a side in the Professional Development League Two North.
The most recent meeting between the two sides was an unfortunate 5-0 defeat against Sheffield Wednesday away from home, after a dominant display from the hosts at Middlewood Road.
Catch-Up: Highlights of the match will be available to subscribers of Cardiff City TV.
Social: Live Updates will come from via our official Academy Twitter account, @CF11Academy.
