Cardiff City’s U18s bounced back to winning ways on Saturday with a 4-1 victory away from home against Colchester United.
MATCH SUMMARY
A quiet first half only resulted in one goal, but it did come the way of the Bluebirds. A foul in the area resulted in a penalty which Jack Sykes converted.
In the second half, Sykes would go on to bag another, while attacking midfielder Leeyon Phelan also scored a brace. James Sasere did pull one back for Colchester, but it wasn’t enough for the U’s, as all three points headed back to South Wales.
Next up for Tom Hutton’s side is a fixture at home against Millwall on Saturday, October 8th. Kick-off is at 1pm.
PRE-MATCH | TOM HUTTON
Ahead of the game, U18 manager Tom Hutton said this: “The FA Youth Cup is an important milestone for both the players and the club. I thought we prepared well for the game, and we performed to our levels in various parts of it, but credit to Cheltenham. They came with a gameplan, and they made it really difficult for us. Going 1-0 up very early in the game, they went defensive and were very resilient, and they deserve some credit for the way they defended.
“When you’re faced with that challenge, you need to find some quality in the final third. We controlled the game in the first two-thirds of the pitch, but we still needed that little bit of spark, that little bit of energy or that combination to unlock them, and I don’t think we were able to deliver on that consistently over the 90 minutes to do that.
“The boys are in good spirits. With everything we do, we want to take the learnings out of the game. We did that very quickly and looked back on the game the day after to make sure that they learn from that experience. It was important for them to know what they did well and what they need to improve on, especially if we’re faced with something like that later on in the season.
“We’ve had some really challenging games against Colchester in the past. They’ve always got some good players at their disposal, and you know they will threaten your backline. First and foremost, it’s going to be really important that we’re defensively organised both in and out of possession. We need to make sure we’re ready to defend those transitions correctly, and then in possession it will be about controlling the game with the ball, because I feel that’s when we’re at our most dangerous. With that, hopefully we can fashion out good chances in the final third which is something we’ve missed in these past two or three games. The boys have prepared well and we’re excited to get going again this weekend.”
RECENT RESULTS
Last time out the U18s were knocked out of the FA Youth Cup by Cheltenham Town.
Despite Archie Hill putting the Robins ahead in the first half, it was the Bluebirds who created the better of the chances. Jack Sykes shot narrowly wide from inside the box, Harry Watts missed the target, and Leeyon Phelan’s effort was palmed away by the Cheltenham keeper, as Tom Hutton’s side bowed out in the first round of the competition.
Last time out in the league, City’s six-game winning streak came to an end after they were defeated by Bournemouth at Cardiff International Sports Campus.
An Ethan Sills double, coupled with a strike for Kobaro Akaunu ensured the Cherries left South Wales with all three points.
The result leaves City third in the PDL South, three points behind leaders Charlton Athletic. This weekend’s opponents, Colchester United, currently sit ninth in the standings.
TICKET INFORMATION
Entry for the match at Florence Park will be free for all supporters.
REACHING THE GROUND
Supporters planning on attending should use the following address:
Florence Park, Grange Road, Tiptree, Colchester, CO5 0UH.
The ground is located a 32-minute bus journey away from Witham train station.