U18 Match Preivew: Coventry City vs. Cardiff City

Cardiff City’s U18 side face Coventry City at the Alan Higgs Centre for their eighth league game of the 2018/19 campaign – kick-off 11.30am.

Know your Opponent

The Sky Blues finished bottom of the PDL2 South in the 2017/18 season, as they picked up ten points from twenty-eight games, winning three matches and drawing one. In a complete contrast of form, Coventry City won the PDL2 South in 2017, as they stormed to the top of the league with twenty-one wins from twenty-eight games, ending the campaign on sixty-five points.

Andy Crabtree’s side are currently sat in ninth place with seven points from seven games, after losing their last two games against Millwall and Birmingham City in 3-0 and 3-1 defeats respectively. The hosts were knocked out at the first time of asking in the FA Youth Cup in 2017, losing 2-1 to Championship side Aston Villa.

Backroom Staff

Coventry City’s Academy manager is Richard Stevens, who has been with the Sky Blues for twelve years. He currently holds a UEFA Pro Licence, after being a coach for over 25 years. Their U18 side are currently managed by Lead PDP Coach Andy Crabtree, who has worked his way up through the age groups to the U18s.

Assisting Andy Crabtree is a former Coventry City player, Andy Whing; he will be fondly remembered by Coventry fans after scoring the last goal at Highfield Road in a 6-2 win against Derby County in 2005. Whing made over 300 appearances in a professional career spanning over 13 years as a defender. Previous to joining Coventry as a coach, he managed the Kidderminster Harriers U23 side also.

Previous Meetings

Craig Bellamy’s side have a mixed set of results against the hosts, having only won one of their last four matches against Coventry City. The most recent meeting was in April 2018, as the young Bluebirds battled to a 2-1 win at the Alan Higgs Centre – which was their first win against their counterparts in over two years.

Pre-Match Quotes

Ahead of the match, City U18 captain Sam Bowen explained that he was expecting a tough test at the Alan Higgs Centre.

“Coventry will be a good game. They’re a decent side and we just want to build on the result last time out. We want to go on a run similar to the start of the season, keep progressing and aim to be top of the league.”

Catch-Up: Highlights of the match will be available to subscribers of Cardiff City TV.

Social: Live Updates will come from via our official Academy Twitter account, @CF11Academy.