U18 Preview: Cardiff City Vs. Bristol City
Cardiff City’s U18 side host Bristol City in the second Severnside derby of the season between the two sides at Cardiff International Sports Campus, 11:00am kick-off.
The Bluebirds go into Saturday’s match after securing their place in the final four of the FAW Youth Cup, beating Llanelli Town 10-0 in a truly scintillating display on Sunday, February 3rd.
In their last league outing, City showed great spirit to regain the lead in added time, against QPR, after Cian Ashford sealed all three points in an emotional match.
Know Your Opponent
Bristol City are currently seventh in the PDL2 South, following a poor run of results recently. The Robins have picked up just four points out of a possible fifteen in their last five matches and are yet to register a victory in 2019.
Trevor Challis’ side were knocked out of the FA Youth Cup in the third-round, losing 2-1 to Crewe Alexandra at Ashton Gate. Sam Pearson scored the Robins’ only goal as they missed out on the fourth-round and a trip to Leicester City.
The visitors haven’t progressed beyond the third-round of the competition in over four years, having been knocked out against Aston Villa in 2016 and by the Bluebirds, 4-0, at Ashton Gate in 2015.
Backroom Staff
Gary Probert holds the role of Academy Manager and has been in the role since March 2016. He has worked for the Gloustershire FA and coached across all age groups for the Robins. Their U18 side are managed by Trevor Challis, who provides a depth of knowledge and experience as an ex-professional and ex-England U21 international.
The former full-back’s notable clubs include Bristol Rovers, QPR and Shrewsbury Town. Challis started his association with Bristol City in 2010, working his way up to U18 manager over several years; he is currently assisted by Neil Swift.
Previous Meetings
The last time that Cardiff City won the Severnside derby at home was in late 2017, although the Bluebirds have only been defeated by the visitors once in the last three years. Last season’s PDL2 top goal-scorer Sion Spence grabbed his ninth goal of the season with a low finish in the 57th minute. Isaak Davies also got on the scoresheet with a superb solo goal in a 2-0 win at USW Sports Park on Friday, November 3rd.
Bristol City defeated the hosts at SGS College earlier in the season, with Marcus Day scoring the only goal of the game, leading his side to a 1-0 victory.
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.
