U18 Match Preview | Cardiff City vs. Coventry City

Cardiff City’s U18 side continue their Premier Development League campaign on Saturday, as they welcome Coventry City to Cardiff International Sports Campus – KO at 11:30am.

Entry to this fixture will be free of charge for all supporters who wish to attend! Come and support the young Bluebirds before heading over to watch the First Team at CCS!

After being defeated by Birmingham City in their opening fixture, last weekend saw the young Bluebirds travel north to face Sheffield Wednesday, but they left the steel city empty-handed following a 2-1 defeat.

After Ernie Weaver had headed the home side ahead, Will Spiers equalised with a stunning strike. However, a City own goal twelve minutes from time meant it was back-to-back defeats for the Bluebirds.

Coach Tom Hutton believed his team showed glimpses of what they can do: “We were pleased on the one hand because there was a lot of improvement in the performance from the Birmingham game.” Tom began. “In possession we were a lot closer aligned to the way we want to play, and our identity was a lot clearer when we had the ball.

“Out of possession, we were a bit disappointed with the goals that we conceded, but we do understand at the moment that we are quite a young team. Some players are still learning about the challenges of U18 football but we’re working with them to help them develop the right skillset.”

This weekend sees Coventry City make the trip down to the Welsh capital. The Sky Blues have made a blistering start to their campaign, winning both of their games so far. After beating Colchester United on the road, Gary Mills’ side won a 3-2 thriller against QPR last weekend.

The Bluebirds and the sky Blues met twice during the 2022/23 campaign. In the league, the Bluebirds won 3-2 away from home to seal an important victory, while in the PDL Cup it was Coventry who came out on top, winning 5-1.

“Coventry have a good Academy,” Tom concluded. “They’ve had a strong track record of graduates going through into the First Team, so you know straight away they’ve got good players.

You always know it’s going to be a tough, physical game against them. From our point of view, the mindset, and the way we approach the game has to match that. If we can build on every game, the more confident we will be.”