The young Bluebirds were defeated by the Latics on Tuesday afternoon.
MATCH SUMMARY
Cardiff City's U21 side was was narrowly defeated by Wigan Athletic on Tuesday afternoon, for their first loss of the PDL campaign.
Following an even start to proceeding in the Welsh capital, the young Bluebirds went behind just after 20 minutes played, with Dion Rankine heading in at close range from a clipped cross into the area. Not long afterwards, City looked to respond as Isaac Jefferies delivered a pinpoint cross towards Mannie Barton, though the latter's headed effort was held.
In the second half, City started strong as Jefferies this time saw his own shot fly off the side netting, though the visitors doubled their lead minutes later as Reece Greenhalgh won the ball at the edge of the City area and finished well from close-range.
Maintaining their two-goal lead until injury time, Jac Thomas got on the scoresheet for the Bluebirds in stoppage time, as his terrific free-kick nestled in the bottom corner to halve the deficit.
PRE-MATCH | DARREN PURSE
Ahead of the fixture, we caught up with Darren Purse on the challenge ahead, with our First Team, U21s and U18s all playing on the same day.
“It’s going to stretch everyone involved at the football club," he began. "First and foremost, we have to be available and ready for what the First Team want to do. Within that, we will assess where we’re at as an U21 team, and then the U18s will follow suit. It’s part and parcel of Academy football.
"The most important thing for us is that the First Team win the game against Cheltenham, and then if we can put in a performance and win against Wigan, likewise the U18s against Wrexham, then everyone will be happy.
"It’s going to be a really good day for the football club and everyone around us are looking to pick up three wins.
“Wigan are a direct team who are good at set-pieces, and those are things we’ve struggled with a little bit at times.
"The lads who are stepping up from U18s to U21s haven’t had to deal with directness and protecting space previously. Wigan are a good side.
"We’ve always had really good games against them in the past, and I expect Tuesday will be no different. If we produce a performance like we know we can, then it will give us a platform to go on and get a good result.”
PRE-MATCH | TREY GEORGE
Playmaker Trey George, who has enjoyed an impressive start to the campaign, added: "In our first game against Sheffield United, it was a tough game, but it was positive to come away with a point. Crewe was a great game for us, we controlled it and we defended and attacked really well. Now, facing Wigan, we're aiming for seven points from the first three games. Throughout pre-season, we played well and have started the season strongly, so we have momentum going into the game.
"It's a really exciting time to be in the Academy. With Dylan Lawlor and Ronan Kpakio playing for the First Team, and you've got Dakarai Mafico in there as well, with Tanatswa Nyakuhwa being involved at the end of last season, you can see that the pathway is there and it's an exciting time for the Club. It shows that you can progress into the First Team, but you've got to keep working towards that every day.
"I try and play with as much confidence as I can because it makes you play better. I go into every game trying to give the players around me my best performance. A lot of the combinations we have in the squad are easy to understand, because I've known most of the boys since I was eight years old, so we've all got a strong bond in the changing room and that shows on the pitch."
RECENT RESULTS
The young Bluebirds began the PDL campaign with a 1-1 draw against Sheffield United.
After Dan Higgs made a string of saves to keep the scores level in the first half, City took the lead. Intense pressing at the top end of the pitch allowed Troy Perrett to win the ball before finding the top corner with a fine finish. Perrett could have had a second in the first period too, but the assistant's offside flag ruled it out. Jac Thomas almost made it two on the stroke of half time, but the ball whistled past the post.
The Blades started the second half well and midway through the second 45 they found their equaliser. A long ball over the top of the City defence found Jevan Beattie, who steered the ball into the far corner. U21 debutant Robert Tankiewicz almost scored two towards the end that almost won City the game, but his free-kick from 30-yards went narrowly wide, while his chip from distance dipped over the crossbar, as both sides were forced to settle for a draw.
City followed that up with a 3-0 win at Crewe Alexandra, defeating Railwaymen convincingly on Monday and continuing with another strong performance.
Perrett opened the scoring for the visitors with fewer than 15 minutes played, as the midfielder secured his second goal in as many appearances. Ten minutes from half-time, Tankiewicz - making his second competitive start for City's U21 side - doubled the lead.
Remaining in control for the duration of the second half, City held onto their established lead and eventually extended it further in injury time, as Tankiewicz bagged a brace for the young Bluebirds two minutes into injury time. With the score proving unassailable for the hosts, City took their first three points of the season, with a clean sheet to boot.
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.