Sam Jones

U18 | Cardiff City 3-1 Brentford

Academy
Our U18s claimed a brilliant 3-1 win over Brentford in the pdl on Saturday afternoon.
Tom Hutton
REACTION | TOM HUTTON

After the full-time whistle, Tom Hutton said: “First and foremost, it’s important to acknowledge the opposition. Brentford were very good and posed us a number of challenges in and out of possession, and this is probably one of the best games we’ve had this season. There was a lot going on in the game, plenty of changes, so it was important for the boys to adapt in order to play the way we wanted to play. When we went down to ten, the boys were able to take on information and defend when they needed to and not give up much. We got the all-important third goal, and that epitomised how the boys deal with setbacks like that. We could have been more ruthless in front of goal, we could have had six, but the boys will learn.

“The determination in this team is a consequence of the values and behaviours we endorse as an academy. That’s present in everything that we do, in every training session, in what we do off the pitch or in games. We have to hold the boys accountable, and ourselves accountable as staff for living those values. The boys are a competitive group, they want to win, and that comes from the ethos of training everyday and how we foster that in the practices that we deliver and the environment we create. It’s not something you can just switch on and off, it’s something that happens every day, and when those moments happen in-game, you can utilise them to your advantage.”


REACTION | HARRY WATTS

Goalscorer Harry Watts added: “I thought we really had to dig in during the hard times today. Everyone put 100% into the defending aspect of the game, putting bodies on the line, making last-ditch tackles, and then going forward, we all sprinted forward trying to create chances.

“We all have a lot of energy and every game we’re always up for the challenge. The chemistry on and off the pitch is really good too. We’re all mates and we all back each other, and you can see that on the pitch with our results, especially if we go two down and we go on to win the game.

“Scoring is always a great feeling. It’s my first goal of the season and I’m keen to build on that now and try getting them every week. If I can’t score, then it doesn’t matter. I’ll just keep going, but that feeling when you’re celebrating a goal, there’s nothing like it.”

Jake Davies
MATCH SUMMARY

Our U18s continued their positive campaign so far with a 3-1 win over Brentford on Saturday afternoon.

Tom Hutton’s side made a quick start to the game and found themselves ahead just eight minutes in. After some patient build-up play on the edge of the box, the ball was released into the path of Harry Watts, who slammed home from close range. The Bluebirds were on the front foot after breaking the deadlock, but were pegged back midway through the half, as Brentford capitalised on a goalmouth scramble.

The equaliser wouldn’t deter City, who continued to pile the pressure on. Dan Ola went close, while Troy Perrett saw a shot cleared off the line. But the hosts would go into the break ahead, after Ola converted from a well-worked Mannie Barton cross.

The Bees came out with more intent at the start of the second half and began to knock on the door. However, they couldn’t find a way past Sam Jones, who made two brilliant saves to keep City ahead.

Brentford began to push forward more, but couldn’t find a way through a well-organised City defence. At the other end, pressing high, Jake Davies robbed the ball away from the Brentford defence and finished through the legs of the keeper, as City made it two wins on the trot. Next up for the U18s will be an away trip to Bristol City next Saturday. Kick-off will be at 11am.

FINAL SCORE: CARDIFF CITY U18 3-1 BRENTFORD U18

Cardiff City: Jones, Talbot, Debono, Edwards, Thomas ©, Watts, C. Williams (Rees 76’), Perrett, Davies, Ola (Hobson 90+3’), Barton (Parfitt 66’). Subs not used: Higgs, Phelan.

Tom Hutton
PRE-MATCH | TOM HUTTON

Ahead of the fixture, head coach Tom Hutton said: “The result was a positive one last week, but the performance wasn’t at the level we expected it to be. We had a lot of opportunities early in the game and we could have been further ahead at the break. We know 1-0 is a dangerous scoreline, and credit to Colchester because they changed the way they played in the second half and deservedly got a goal back. But the boys were resilient, and they dug in and were able to find a winner in a difficult game.

“The boys are fairing relatively well with the busy schedule going on now. We’re twelve weeks into this programme and the boys have been working really hard. In training, we prepare them as best as we can for the games while also preparing them for life as a Championship footballer and beyond that. The Championship schedule is one of the most demanding in football, so exposing these boys to a Saturday, Tuesday programme is a real positive for us.

“Saturday is a game we’re looking forward to. This is Brentford’s first season in category two, as a result it’s someone we haven’t played often, but we always look forward to those fixtures when it is someone new on the calendar. We know it’s going to be a tough test, they’re a good team who have got players from a very good catchment area. As always, we’re preparing as positively as we can, and we will look to put in a improved performance on last week.”


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.