U18 Match Preview | Crewe Alexandra vs. Cardiff City

City's U18s will finish the PDL campaign on Saturday, as they travel to take on Crewe Alexandra at Alexandra Park, 2pm KO.

The Bluebirds head into the contest off the back of a 2-0 win at Swansea City. After a goalless first half, two quick-fire goals from Cody Twose and Lennon Talbot at the start of the second period ensured victory. The win also confirmed that Tom Hutton’s side will finish third in the PDL South.

For their final game of the season, the young Bluebirds head north to take on Crewe Alexandra. The Railwaymen currently sit sixth place in the PDL North, winning twelve, drawing three, and losing 14 of their 29 games this campaign. Crewe head into this game off the back of a big 5-0 win at home to Coventry City.

Ahead of Saturday's fixture, we caught up with U18 head coach Tom Hutton.

“We will be looking to finish the season as strongly as we can," Tom began. "We will be working with a different group of players than we did against Swansea. We’ll probably be calling on more of the U16s on Saturday with the U21s playing on Friday, but we’ll be trying to build on some of the positive performances that group have had.

“I think the game against Crewe will be a highly tactical one. They will look to dominate possession like we will and it will mean both teams will have to work hard without the ball in order to try and get the most possession. 

"It is a challenge we’re looking forward to. It’s a nice game to end the season with and the most important thing is that it gives us the opportunity to look at some of these U16s and assess where they are and what they need for pre-season, which will be just around the corner in July.”

Defender Alyas Debono, who has had a season of great progress, added: "The boys got a lot of confidence from the last two performances. We've had two clean sheets and the defence have been playing well. We've been sharp this week in training as well, so we're looking to take that into Saturday. 

"It's been a good season for us. Taking the step from U16s football to U18s, it's very different, but a lot of the boys have adapted well to it. I've improved as a player personally this season, but the whole team have developed a lot. We're playing better as a team and that's showing on the pitch. 

"Seeing the player pathway at the Club gives us a lot of inspiration. You see players like Dakarai [Mafico], who is our age, being in the First Team squad, we're really proud of him. Hopefully, many more of us can come through. 

"It's important to finish the season on a high because it will reflect positively on the season as a whole."