City's U18s began their season with three points, defeating Bolton Wanderers 3-1 in their opening game of the Professional Development League campaign.
MATCH SUMMARY
On the opening day of the season, City were required to show character to come from behind and showed exactly that.
Trailing at the interval, captain Tom Prickett found an equaliser for the Bluebirds, before Leo Papirnyk put the side ahead.
The result was secured by a brilliant goal from midfielder Tiger Tobin, who drove into the box and finished clinically.
Next up is a home clash against Fleetwood Town on Saturday, August 22nd, kicking off at 11am.
REACTION | LEO PAPIRNYK
After getting on the scoresheet, Leo Papirnyk said: "The boys were exceptional from start to finish. Everyone worked incredibly hard, and I think we fully deserved the win. We knew coming into the game that they were going to be a strong and very physical side, so we prepared for that all week in training. We stuck to the plan, worked hard for each other, and thankfully got the outcome we deserved.
"As a striker, scoring goals always gives you confidence. I’ll always give my all for the team, and part of my job is to contribute with goals, so I was really pleased to get off the mark today. More importantly, I’m happy that I could play my part in helping the team get the win, and hopefully I can build on this going forward."
PRE-MATCH | LOGAN CARTWRIGHT
Building up to the first competitive game of the season, we spoke to Second Year Scholar Logan Cartwright.
"Both the U18 and U21 teams going into the season are in good shape. There have been some good results in pre-season which is exciting going into the campaign.
"As a team, we're capable of being very competitive this year. We're in a good place physically and off the pitch, the team has bonded very well.
"For the Second Year Scholars, we have a big responsibility to help those First Years like we were helped last season. Some players have come from other clubs and it's important to pass on what has been passed on to us. We've instilled those values that we have at Cardiff City.
"Throughout pre-season, we have started to gel into more of a team and especially in our recent games, we have stuck together really well, which will stand us in good stead for Saturday's game."
SQUAD UPDATE
Our U18s have welcomed a series of new scholars to the side ahead of the 2026/27 season.
The young Bluebirds have worked hard throughout pre-season training at our Academy Training Complex in Llanrumney.
As part of the U18s setup, the following players have agreed two-year scholarship deals with the Bluebirds and will be working alongside the Second Year Scholars.
Goalkeepers: Alex Cross, Charlie Bell.
Defenders: Keano Conaty, Zechariah Larbi.
Midfielders: Jacob Norris, Cass Machin, Pedro Araujo.
Attackers: Taona Nyakuhwa.
REACHING THE GROUND
Supporters planning on attending should use the following address:
Eddie Davies Academy, Ox Hey Ln, Lostock, Bolton, BL6 4AW
The ground is located a 22-minute walk away from Horwick Parkway Train Station and a one-minute walk from The Bromwilow Arms Bus Stop.