Our U18s began their PDL campaign with a home defeat against Sheffield Wednesday on Saturday afternoon.
MATCH SUMMARY
The young Bluebirds were defeated 4-3 by Sheffield Wednesday in their opening PDL game of the season.
City raced into a two-goal lead thanks to a Riley Hilaire-Clarke opener and a delightful chip by Harry Watts. However, Wednesday hit back with two goals in three minutes thanks to Will Grainger and Liam Clayton, and that meant the sides went into half-time level.
Despite starting the better side at the start of the second half, Tom Hutton’s side conceded two towards the end of the half. A Harry Chadbourne effort coupled with a Grainger penalty made it 4-2. Noah Williams did pull one back late on from a tight angle, but it wasn’t to be for the Bluebirds.
POST-MATCH | TOM HUTTON
“I thought it was a challenging game,” Hutton began following the final whistle. “At this stage of the season, there are a lot of boys who are new to the scholarship. The scholarship is a training programme to help them understand what it takes to be a professional footballer, because that is the next stage for them. The games programme is something that will challenge them to do that.
"Today we came up against a physical and direct team and many of those boys would not have faced a team like that before. You try and prepare them the best they can so they can be ready for that, but that really caught us out today and it’s something we found difficult to face.
“We did have some good moments. We did get ourselves into a lead. The challenge they posed us with their directness and the number of bodies they put onto you up top we didn’t deal with well.
"When you concede four poor goals like we did, and then not finish your opportunities on the counter, then you’re going to find it hard to win a game of football."
PRE-MATCH | TOM HUTTON
Ahead of Saturday's fixture, Tom Hutton said: "Preparations have gone really well for us this summer. We had the First Year Scholars come in, so for the first few weeks, it was about implementing the behaviours that we expect both on and off the pitch. There's a real understanding of that and we're seeing that on the training pitch and around the building. As a group, we've been really pleased with the way that they've started.
"Pre-season is an important time, not only to implement those behaviours, but also the tactical ideas that you want to bring to the game. We've had opportunities to practise that, but on Saturday, it becomes more real. It's in the league and there's more pressure on it, but the focus is always the same for us, which is on the performance. We know that if we stick to that, it will bring results. The boys go into the game excited and it's a challenge that we're looking forward to."
PRE-MATCH | HARRY WATTS
Midfielder Harry Watts added: "Pre-season has gone well for us as a squad. Everyone has shown what they can do. We've all been as competitive as we can and have been fighting for our positions. Morale has been good and we're all well up for Saturday.
"I'm really excited, because I missed a lot of last season. I'm looking forward to it and I'm sure the boys are as well. We're expecting them to be a hard test for us. They'll be big, physical and direct, but we'll be prepared for that challenge. The way that we want to play, we've been practising it all summer and we're ready to go."
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.