Cardiff City's U18s kicked off their PDL Cup group stage campaign with a 1-1 draw against Wrexham at Globe Way.
MATCH SUMMARY
Manager Tom Hutton made two changes from the side that defeated Barnsley over the weekend. There was a return for Harri Davies, while Jasper Dupres made his U18 debut between the sticks. City were forced into an early change in the first half, but it was the substitute, Thomas Prickett, who broke the deadlock in the opening period to put the Bluebirds in front at the break.
However, in the second half, Wrexham pulled one back to make sure the spoils were shared in the opening game of Group B. In the other game in the group, Swindon Town defeated Swansea City 4-1. City play group leaders Swindon in their next game PDL Cup game. That will take place at Cardiff International Sports Campus on Saturday, October 4th, with kick-off at 11am.
PRE-MATCH | TOM HUTTON
Ahead of Tuesday’s game against Wrexham, we caught up with U18 manager Tom Hutton, who explained the significance of the PDL Cup and what he expected from City’s opponents.
“It’s a little bit of a change from the league," Tom began. "We want to do as well as we can in the cup and be as competitive as we can. Wrexham are a team that we don’t usually play, but we will prepare in a very similar way.
"We put in a really positive performance on Saturday, and now Tuesday is an opportunity to go and get better again. It’s a test we are looking forward to and we want to try and start with a positive performance.
“One of the benefits of the cup is that you get exposed to opposition you wouldn’t normally play. It’s an exciting moment for us to challenge ourselves against Wrexham. I don’t think it will be an easy game.
"They will make it really difficult for us, and cup football is slightly different to league football. We have to try and go there and win to get points on the board, and we want to try and go as far as we can in this competition.
"It’s all about experiences for these boys and the longer you stay in the cup, the more chances you get to challenge yourselves in knockout phase games.”
RECENT RESULTS
Having lost their opening game of the season to Sheffield Wednesday, City responded well by picking up all three points in a 3-2 away win against Hull City.
Defender Ollie Walsh scored on his return from injury for the young Bluebirds, but it’s a day that will live long in the memory of striker Leo Papirnyk. He scored two goals on the day, his first goals for the U18s, to seal an away win.
Then on Saturday, Hutton’s side made it back-to-back league wins with a 4-2 victory at home against Barnsley.
Riley Hilaire-Clarke scored an early opener, only for Barnsley to equalise two minutes later. Before the break, Jack Sykes found himself on the scoresheet, only for the Tykes to find yet another leveller on the other side of half time.
But in the second half City dominated, and towards the end of the game they found two deserving goals to seal all three points. Harry Watts found the third with a powerful strike into the bottom corner, before Papirnyk sealed the game by dancing around the goalkeeper and putting the ball away into an empty net.
TICKET INFORMATION
Entry for the match at Globe Way will be free for all supporters.
REACHING THE GROUND
Supporters planning on attending should use the following address:
Buckley Town Football Club, Globe Way, Buckley, CH7 3LY.
The ground is located a 29-minute walk away from Buckley station.