U18 Match Report | Cardiff City 6-2 Peterborough United
Cardiff City's U18 team kicked-off their 2022/23 campaign with an entertaining 6-2 victory over Peterborough United U18s at Cardiff International Sports Stadium.
The young Bluebirds fell behind after six minutes, with Posh attacker Tyler Winters firing into the back of the net from the edge of the area.
However, Steve Jenkins' side soon began to create attacking opportunities, with United goalkeeper Jake West called into action to deny both Japhet Mpadi and Tanatswa Nyakuhwa.
City soon made their pressure count, with Mpadi getting a leveller after 26 minutes. Good build-up on the right flank from skipper Joe Keeping created a crossing opportunity, with Lewis Ware able to tee-up the striker for a simple finish.
Moments later, Peterborough regained the lead from the penalty spot. City goalkeeper Jake Dennis was unfortunate to bring down the Posh striker whist diving for the ball, which allowed Gabriel Overton to calmly convert from twelve yards.
However, Jenkins' side soon made their attacking dominance count, with a flurry of goals late in the first half turning the game on its head.
Will Spiers was the creator of City's second, with a darting run down the right flank before a low cross towards the front post. On hand was Nyakuhwa, who deftly flicked the ball past West and into the net.
Completing the turnaround, Spiers netted his first of the afternoon a minute later, with a fine effort from the edge of the area which left goalkeeper West stranded, and gave City the advantage at the break.
The second half was played at a slower place than the first, though City were still able to add to their tally. After 75 minutes, some good pressure in the final third saw possession change hands high up the pitch, with Kyle Kenniford applying a neat finish.
The impressive Spiers was able to get his second of the game five minutes later, unleashing a wonderful strike from distance to put the finishing touches on an excellent personal performance.
And the goalmouth action didn't stop there, with Nyakuhwa on hand to add a sixth late in the game. The striker calmly held off his man and rolled the ball home for his brace, bringing the game to a close with City picking up a deserved victory.
After the match, Steve Jenkins said: "You've got to give the lads credit, because to score six goals in the first game of the season is really pleasing. I think there was a little bit of first-day nerves, because we were a bit more aggressive, in terms of our press, during the pre-season matches.
"We make a lot of demands of the young players to be the best that they can. In terms of going behind twice and coming back, that shows a little bit of resilience, and that's pleasing. It's drilled into them throughout the week - they never give up and they keep working hard, so it's not a surprise to see."
Commenting on right-back Will Spiers, Steve said: "Will is a really dynamic player, and he's very difficult to stop when he's travelling with the ball. He's got two goals and an assist from right back, so he's affected the game immensely, and drove us on when we needed it. It was a good performance, but there were lots of good performances throughout the park."
