Academy

U21 Match Centre | Cardiff City 1-0 Charlton Athletic

8th March

Cardiff City's U21 side defeated the Addicks at CCS on Tuesday afternoon.

Match Summary

The young Bluebirds took all three points from an entertaining contest in the Welsh capital, thanks to Mannie Barton's second half strike.

From a match that saw only one goal, City proved the victors with a professional performance that saw their match management tested once they'd taken their lead. A solid defensive display from the backline - led by captain Jack Kingdon - proved the difference on several occasions as the Addicks upped the pressure towards the latter end of the match.

Having gone in at the break with the score goalless, Barton's goal came from an effective City attack, ending with the forward dribbling into the area from the right before striking home, with slight assistance from a deflected shot sending 'keeper George Hardy the wrong way.

City will return to PDL action on Friday evening, travelling to face Swansea City with a 5:30pm kick-off.

Post-Match | Darren Purse

After the game, Darren Purse said: “We made hard work of it. They were good to be fair to them. They had the better of us in the first half. We really struggled with managing the way they were playing out, so we adjusted our press a little bit for the second half, and the boys carried it out really well.

“I thought Jake Davies and Trey George were exceptional with their work rate for the team. The moments when we turned the ball over, they had that little bit of quality at times and just lacked a goal from either one of them today. It’s nice to keep a clean sheet. The boys have probably deserved a clean sheet in the last few weeks, and are just delighted to get three points.

“It was a very tight game. It’s very unusual to get U21s games like that. It was two very evenly matched sides, and I think that we got that little bit of luck, with the goal, with it being deflected, but I think we probably earned that little bit of luck with the work rate we had out of possession. The boys deserved to come out with a win, given the way they adapted to the change in tactics and the work rate they put in."

PRE-MATCH | JACK KINGDON

Ahead of the contest, defender and U21s captain Jack Kingdon said: “We’re feeling really confident going into the game, as we always do, because we know how good we can play. We’ve just got to produce what we know we can, and I’m sure the result will take care of itself.

“We’re expecting a direct threat from Charlton. They are a good athletic team. Even though the scoreline was 3-0 last time and it looked convincing, we had to work hard for the goals. We had to break them down.

“It’s really important to pick up a win after a loss and a draw in the last two games, just to restore the confidence in the lads and the vibe around the training ground. We know how good we can play, and we can score goals.

“The lads are really looking forward to playing at the stadium again. Just knowing that’s where we could play in the next few years, when we break into the First Team, playing in front of thousands of fans, it’s getting us ready for that.”

LAST TIME OUT

The Bluebirds picked up a point away at Millwall last Thursday afternoon.

City started the game brightly and were rewarded for doing so, taking the lead with eight minutes on the clock.

The young Bluebirds won the ball back, and that led to Dan Ola having an opportunity to net the first goal, which he took clinically.

The hosts looked to get back level and went close through Ra'ees Bangura-Williams, who struck the crossbar with a free-kick.

With 77 minutes on the clock, Elias Mansor had a chance for the Lions, but Danny Higgs was on hand to produce a brilliant save.

TICKET INFORMATION

Entry for the match will be free for all supporters, with entry via Gate 2, between the Ticket Office and SuperStore.

REACHING THE GROUND

Supporters planning on attending should use the following address:

Cardiff City Stadium, Leckwith Rd, Cardiff, CF11 8AZ.

The ground is located a 9-minute walk from Ninian Park Station and a 32-minute walk from Cardiff Central Station.

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