U18 | City 4-3 Ipswich Town

City's U18 side fought back to claim an impressive 4-3 victory over Ipswich town in the PDL.

REACTION | TOM HUTTON

After the game, we caught up with U18 manager Tom Hutton.

“There were positives in the performance, and the majority of them came in the first half. A lot of what we worked on in training came out, and we were able to create some good goalscoring opportunities. A lot of the things that went against us were self-inflicted, and we have to hold ourselves accountable to that and do better in certain moments. We maybe could have managed those moments better. They came out the blocks quickly in the second half, and we didn’t respond quick enough to them, and the game was frantic off the back of that, but getting the fourth goal was a key moment.

“I was really pleased with the boys after going two down. We gave those goals away early and easily, but the boys have a lot of trust in the way we want to play, and even though we were two goals down, we were playing quite well. I could hear the boys on the pitch, and the messages were to keep calm and keep doing what we’re doing, and that says a lot about the mindset of the boys. That was a major plus for us, because they didn’t panic, and they deserved to go up going into half time.”

MATCH SUMMARY

Cardiff City’s U18s pulled off a remarkable comeback to defeat Ipswich Town 4-3.

The visitors took the lead after four minutes, as Ipswich bundled the ball in from a corner. The Tractor Boys would double their lead ten minutes later.

However, Tom Hutton’s side responded well and pulled a goal back midway through the half. Captain Jac Thomas got in behind the defence and chipped the ball over the onrushing keeper. The equaliser almost came seconds later as Mannie Barton managed to get his shot away in the box, only for it to be deflected over the bar.

The equaliser would come ten minutes before the break, as Lennon Talbot’s hanging cross was nodded home by Dan Ola. And before the referee blew his whistle to signal the interval, the Bluebirds completed their remarkable turnaround, as Jake Davies wriggled into some space and fired home at the near post.

In the second half, Davies picked the ball up outside the box, the forward weaved in and out of defenders, before placing the ball past the keeper. Ipswich did pull one back from the penalty spot late on, but City held on to record an impressive win.

Pre-Match | Tom Hutton

“We reflect on the last game positively with the way we performed. We were dominant for large period of the game, but probably lacked that cutting edge and that final pass or shot that could maybe put us a couple more ahead going into the break. It was important for us at half time to try and get the second goal, which we did, and it was a really well worked goal too. The boys are getting better with every game, and we reflect positively on the win last week.

“Ipswich have a very good academy, and they always pose a challenge for us in this U18 group. Obviously their first team are on an upward trajectory, and expectations for them as a football club is probably getting higher. For us, we always focus on ourselves, and we always try to reflect on the previous week and identify how we can improve in the next game. 

“We want to get better every week and help the boys collectively, and the games are the ultimate test. It gives the players a chance to showcase their improvements, and from a coaching perspective, we’ve seen a lot of it week in and week out. We always look forward to the games because it gives us a real benchmark moment in the week to see how the boys are improving.”

Ticket information

Entry for this Saturday's match at Cardiff International Sports Campus will be free for all supporters.

Reaching THE GROUND

Supporters planning on attending on Saturday 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.