U18 Match Preview | Charlton Athletic vs. Cardiff City
Cardiff City’s U18s return to PDL action this Saturday, as they travel to take on Charlton Athletic, 1pm KO.
The young Bluebirds' fixture against Queens Park Rangers at Cardiff International Sports Campus last weekend was postponed due to a frozen pitch, meaning City return to action having not played since their draw against Bournemouth in the PDL Cup.
Results elsewhere during that period City sit in third place; six points behind Watford, but the Bluebirds have two games in hand over the Hornets.
Saturday's opponents won the PDL South last season and narrowly missed out on winning the PDL title, losing to Barnsley on penalties. The side, managed by Jason Pearce, currently sit one place behind City in the league in fourth place, but are without a win in their last two games.
Ahead of the fixture, U18 head coach Tom Hutton said: "The boys are all really looking forward to the game on Saturday. It's always a disappointment when you get a late postponement, but we went up to the Vale and did a gym session and a spin class, so the boys got some work in and applied themselves really well, so we made the best of a tough situation.
"We're expecting a really tough game. When you play Charlton in this league, you know it's going to be a really competitive fixture. If you look at recent league tables, they're always there or thereabouts.
"We've gone away to play some really tough opponents recently and have come away with some positive results, so it's just about keeping our momentum now and keeping our positivity going. The most pleasing thing for us, especially when you're working with young players, is that we strive to be as close as we can to the performance that we're looking for and the players have been doing that recently."
Reflecting on the campaign so far, talented midfielder Dakarai Mafico added: "It's been a really positive season so far. We didn't start how we wanted to, but since we've found our feet, we've been playing well consistently. We're doing very well and the boys deserve credit. Going into this weekend, we're feeling confident.
"I feel like I've had a strong campaign personally. I've played in a few different positions and have been given opportunities as well with the U21s. To play regularly with the U18s, I've really enjoyed this season and I think it's been my strongest start to a season, so it's been really positive so far.
"This year, I've probably developed the most than in other seasons. That's probably down to the scholar programme and being in training regularly. The boys are improving rapidly as well, it's not just me, so I think everyone in the U18s team are taking positive steps, which is only going to see us get even better."
