Cardiff City's U18 side will host the Swans on Saturday morning - 11am KO.
PRE-MATCH | TOM HUTTON
Ahead of the match, Tom Hutton said: “The boys are doing well after the result last week. We had a U17 cup game on Tuesday night, which was a welcome challenge because it turns your focus from one of disappointment to one of trying to do as best as you can. In football you’re going to have highs and lows, and it’s particularly important when you’re a young player, is how you deal with those lows. Throughout a footballing career, there’s probably more lows than highs, so you have to get used to dealing with them, and the good thing about this sport is that there will be other games. Sometimes you have to move on and focus on the next one, which the boys have done well.
“We know Swansea are a good team, a well-coached team, and they will be hungry to try and win the game, particularly after the match we had against them earlier in the season. We’re expecting a really tough challenge, and even at U18 level, the derby is highly competitive, and you always have to make sure you have a hungry group of players who want to go out and win the game. Yes, we want to play in a certain way and impose our style, but in these sorts of games, you have to have a competitive mindset and mentality to make sure that you win. It’s important to not play down the importance of these games.
“Last Saturday was a really great day for the club and it gives everyone a boost when you pick up three points against your rivals. We’re preparing as normal for this one, but we want to make sure we’re competitive. If we’re able to impose our identity and our way of playing, I’m sure we’ll be able to deliver the performance that we know we are capable of.”
PRE-MATCH | NOAH WILLIAMS
Previewing the fixture, centre-back Noah said: “We’ve done our analysis from the game last Friday. We know the improvements we need to make in time for the game this weekend. We’ve taken positives from the game and the performance, but we need to make sure we go again on Saturday.
“I feel like I’ve developed thoroughly throughout the season. Coming into pre-season, I was fit from doing my off-season plan, and that’s always important to do in order to start a season well. I’ve been fortunate in the minutes that I’ve been given, and that has enabled me to develop and gain experience. We’ve got a great group of boys in the squad. When we first came in, us first year scholars didn’t really know the second-year scholars that well, but we quickly got to know each other, we’ve all developed well, and we all work hard for each other.
“Every game is as important as each other, but heading into the derby, the preparation for this week is extra important. We need to be prepared for what they’re going to bring. They will obviously want to get one back on us for what we did to them earlier in the season, but we’ve got to make sure we’re focused, prepared, and we’ll be ready. Swansea will be aggressive, will try to play their brand of football, but I think that plays into our hands. As a team, we’re better at the footballing side of things, and if we’re just as aggressive as them, I think we’ll have a good day.
“The win in Swansea last time gives us a lot of confidence. As a team, we’ve been really good at coming from behind this year. We’ve been down at half-time and even earlier in some games, but we don’t let it bother us. We will always re-group and we will go again. We always look at what we can do to get back into the game, and that gives us loads of confidence.”
TICKET INFORMATION
Entry for this Saturday's match at Cardiff International Sports Campus will be free for all supporters.
REACHING THE GROUND
Supporters planning on attending on Saturday 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.