City’s U18’s fell to a 1-0 defeat to Bristol City in the PDL on Saturday afternoon.
The young Bluebirds began the match on the front foot, recording the first chances in the contest as they looked for the opener. Skipper Harry Watts won his side a penalty after 20 minutes after being brought down in the area, however City were unable to capitalise as Jack Sykes’ spot kick was saved.
Despite this, the hosts remained in control as chances from Hayden Allmark and Leo Paprinyk saw efforts denied by the Robins’ keeper, with the latter’s shot forcing a fingertip save to keep the scores level.
The visitors were awarded a penalty of their own on the stroke of half-time, with Desmond Kumih Barimah converting to give Bristol City the lead moments before the break.
In the second half, City searched for a way back in the game with Sykes going close. His effort at the near post was tipped behind for a corner, and he struck the woodwork in the following minute after his deep cross into the area cannoned off the post.
Both sides were reduced to 10 men in the second half, with the visiting forward being shown a red card for dissent and then T-Jay Parfitt was also sent off for an apparent push off the ball.
City continued to search for a leveller, piling on the pressure, however were unable to create a clear chance to level the score. Next up for the young Bluebirds is a trip to Brentford on Saturday 28th February, with kick-off at 11:30am.
REACTION | TOM HUTTON
“I’m disappointed with the result but ultimately, we can’t have any complaints.” Tom began. “There were a lot of positive moments, particularly when we were in possession and the way we tried to build and create chances however, in those key moments particularly in the final third we lacked a bit of quality to get the goals we were looking for.
“Credit to Bristol, they were quite direct in the way they played but I thought the boys rose to that challenge and dealt with that quite well as it’s what we prepared for ahead of the game. There were a few key moments with the penalties and the sendings off that had a big influence on the game however, goals are what defines the result. While there were a lot of control from us and some positive moments, I don’t think we did enough in the final third to make it a positive result.
“I thought we had the opportunities to get the win, probably more than the opposition but it’s about taking the chances. It gives us more to work on and we will be taking time to work on that now to make sure we finish off those attacks when we need to. But the boys have been brilliant lately and have usually been taking those chances and scoring a lot of goals, so we’ll take time to reflect on this result and ensure we have a positive week in training to prepare for Brentford.”
PRE-MATCH | TOM HUTTON
“It's a game we're all looking forward to.” Tom began. “We had the postponement of our game against Millwall last week, so the boys have trained well this week and they're all looking forward to getting going again.
"The games are occasions where the boys always most look forward to, we know Saturday's going to be a real tough test and a real tough challenge, but after the game being postponed last week, now is one that we're really looking forward to and getting going with.
"We know Bristol are going to be aggressive and are a physical team, which is something that we have to stand up to and make sure that we're ready for that.
"We've had some really challenging games against them over the years so, the focus will be on trying to implement our style very early on in the game and showing what we're capable of and building on a lot of the positive performances that we've had in in recent weeks.”
RECENT RESULT
City's U18s recorded a 3-1 victory over Swansea City last time out. The young Bluebirds came out of the blocks quickly, taking the lead after just three minutes through Mannie Barton’s cool finish into the corner of the net.
Tom Hutton’s side quickly doubled their lead after Riley Hilaire-Clarke beat Wahab Ojetoto on the right wing, played in a cross to Jack Sykes in the area, and laid it off for Rob Tankiewicz to fire beyond the keeper.
The visitors halved the deficit via Bobby Lewis’ goal but the two-goal lead was restored with Sykes squaring the ball for the skipper Harry Watts to tap in from close-range shortly before half time.
After the break, the hosts dug their heels into the contest and produced some resolute defending as both Thomas Prickett and Noah Williams made vital interceptions to maintain the lead, with the latter making a goal-line clearance.
Barton came close to adding a fourth, with a curling effort crashing off the post with ten minutes remaining.
The result extended the side’s unbeaten run to six games, which pushed them up to second in the PDL standings, just four points behind Charlton Athletic with a game in hand.
TICKET INFORMATION
Entry for the match at Cardiff International Sports Campus will be free for all supporters.
REACHING THE GROUND
Supporters planning on attending should use the following address:
Cardiff International Sports Campus, Leckwith Rd, Cardiff, CF11 8AZ.
The ground is located an 11-minute walk away from Ninian Park Station and a 32-minute walk from Cardiff Central Station.