Cardiff City's U21 side recorded an impressive victory at Peterborough United on Tuesday afternoon.
PRE-MATCH | DARREN PURSE
Ahead of the fixture, we caught up with U21 manager Darren Purse to see how the reaction has been after the defeat to Wigan Athletic last week.
“We know the standards that we’ve set for ourselves at the start of the season against Sheffield United, and even against Wolves in pre-season,” he began. “We did it again against Crewe, but we didn’t meet those standards last week against Wigan. We lacked intensity, desire, and we lacked a bit of quality in possession, which was our biggest strength over pre-season. That was disappointing, but now the boys need to react to that against Peterborough.
“We’ve always said to the lads in the U21s that all we can do for you is provide opportunities and give auditions. Some of the boys have stepped up in training and taken that opportunity. I look at Gabriel Keita who has come in and taken that opportunity, and then he was on the bench for the First Team. You give them the chance, and then for us, the U18 lads get a chance in the U21s.
“Peterborough have had a really good start to the season. They’ve won their first couple of games, but we have some boys away on international duty. We will be going there with a lot of the younger boys because we’re losing so many players. It’s going to be a chance for some of the U18 boys to step up and go and prove themselves on this level.”
PRE-MATCH | TROY PERRETT
Troy Perrett has had a solid start to the season by scoring two goals, and he said this ahead of the game against Peterborough.
“It’s definitely been a good start to the season for us. For me personally, it’s been good to have been able to score two goals already in the campaign. Not only does it help the team, but it also raises confidence as a group.
“The boys who are new to the squad have come in a gelled together well with the ones who have been here for a little longer. We are a good bunch of boys which does help, and as the games go on, we’re starting to play better together, and the performances are reflecting that.
“To see some of the lads doing so well in the senior team shows us in the U21s that there is a path to the First Team. The manager wants to give young players opportunities, so it’s on us to keep working hard and hopefully we all get an opportunity.
“The momentum we’ve generated at the start of the season puts us in a good place heading into this game against Peterborough. They will be a difficult test and will be tough and physical, but I think our quality will show, and if we stick to the plan, I’m sure we will be fine.”
TICKET INFORMATION
Entry for the match at the Mick George Training Ground will be free for all supporters.
REACHING THE GROUND
The training ground is located on Oundle Road, Peterborough, with the postcode being PE2 7EA.