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1-0 win for the under-23s at Hull tonight, Dan Griffiths with the goal. Aaron Bolger missed a late penalty to wrap it up then Burwood saved a Hull penalty to secure the win. The trialists Wallis and Stedman played for us again tonight.
Five City players in the Wales Under 19 squad to travel to the Netherlands to compete in an Elite Group which includes the host nation, Spain and Slovenia. With only the winners of the group making it to the Finals, the odds must be against Wales qualifying, but, having beaten Sweden to get this far, they've done better than most of their predecessors already.
On a City note, I know it's not really fair to say this, but I find it galling that all five players were in the City team beaten, yet again, by the jacks in the Welsh Youth Cup last week and yet there are only two Swansea players in the squad.
http://www.dai-sport.com/five-young-...s-elite-squad/
Tough match for the Under 18s today at Leeds who are second in the Northern Section - Bowen, Spence and Isaak Davies all missing from the team, so, perhaps, they will start on Monday for the Under 23s.
0-0 after half an hour.
The Under 23s are at home to Crewe on Monday at Leckwith, kick off 1 o clock;-
https://www.cardiffcityfc.co.uk/news...ewe-alexandra/
A 5-1 hammering for Wales Under 19s against Spain I'm afraid - George Ratcliffe was in goal and Sam Bowen started in midfield.
Good to see that James Waite was called up for the Wales under-21 training camp this week even though he subsequently had to pull out with injury.
A DVP game with Crewe at Leckwith today, 2.00 kick off I believe.
Thanks for that mention of the 2 o clock kick off because I would have turned up at 1 o clock, which was the kick off time advertised by the club website in the days leading up to the game - annoying from a personal point of view because a four o clock finish will add another half an hour or so to my journey home, but, as it's likely to be the last Under 23 match I watch this season, I should make the effort to go.
You didn't miss anything Clive. Crewe scored three times in the first ten minutes and a City side that had Lawrence Wootton sent off couldn't respond except for a O'Keefe penalty - there was a definite end of season feeling as both sides struggled through a non event of a second half.
Apart from Connolly (who went off injured in the first half) and O'Keefe it was a very young City side and I'm afraid that none of the Academy players on show really responded to the opportunity they were given to play at a higher level.
My blog piece on yesterday's game, along with news of how the other teams besides our first team have been faring during our three week break.
http://mauveandyellowarmy.net/
Thanks for that. Seems a bit harsh though, a combination of loans, injuries and international duty meant the under 23s were missing Brown, Bodenham, Waite, Harris, the McKays, Duffus, Humphries, Martin, Williams, Coxe and Bolger yesterday. That only left Price & Wootton of the outfield players and now, presumably, Wootton will be suspended from Friday's game at Watford.
It was an odd week to arrange two games knowing that senior Academy players would be away with Wales u19s and the Academy will have a game themselves on Saturday but I'd still rather see our youngsters in there, gaining some experience of that level, than a stream of trialists.
Why were those last five players you name missing though? I suppose they could all have been injured, but Cameron Coxe, who I don't think has played a game for about six weeks, was watching and was not giving the impression he was carrying an injury as he wandered about with a few other young players.
I said in my piece that I regard using our younger players as preferable to what we saw for all of last season and most of this one, but there were too many who have not established themselves fully in the Under 18 side yet involved yesterday (e.g. Kieron Evans, Ryan Kavanagh, Rubin Colwill, Siyabonga Ligendza, Owen Pritchard and Eli King) and poor Isaak Davies was wearing a cast on his wrist and spent much of the forty five minutes he played looking like someone who was carrying about three injuries!
By all means, pick some of these lads, but putting them all in together against opponents that, by the look of them, had an average age pretty close to 23 and expecting them to prosper is a bit stupid if you ask me. As I say, I don't think anyone of the fourteen players involved for City could have gained anything worthwhile out of the experience.
I get what you're saying but I'm not sure who else you think could've played. Bolger is with the Ireland u19s, Coxe withdrew from the Wales u21 training camp so I assume he's injured, Humphries & Martin were both subbed early in their last appearances and haven't been seen since and I cant think of a reason Williams wouldn't have played yesterday so I assume they're all injured too. Of the regular Academy boys, Spence & Reynolds are injured, Patten, Bowen and Griffiths are on international duty and Connor Davies has only just come back from injury. I was surprised we didn't give some fringe first team teamers some pitch time yesterday but, as we didn't, we weren't exactly spoilt for choice as to who we could pick.
Sub appearances for Sam Bowen and Keenan Patten as Wales ended a disappointing Under 19 Elite Group campaign with a 3-0 defeat by Slovenia yesterday.
Regarding who could have played on Monday, I'd say that, for example, Jac Davies, Trystan Jones, Harry Pinchard, Sam Parsons and Ntazana Mayembe are all more established Academy team players who could have been considered.
Maybe, doubt it would've made a difference though. Bellamy's Academy side was put out for a DVP game last season as a rehearsal for the Youth Cup Final, Waite and Coxe played too as they were u19s at the time. Still got beaten 5-0 and that didn't flatter Notts Forest either. 3-1 doesn't sound too bad in comparison to that.
You seemed to be suggesting that the club was conducting some pointless experiment on Monday, I was just pointing out that they didn't have much choice in terms of selection and that, as they were all our players rather than trialists, there's something positive to be learnt by players and coaches alike from games like that, however soul destroying it can be for spectators.
An upbeat assessment of the game from Jarred Harvey & Warren Burwood here.
https://www.cardiffcityfc.co.uk/news...t-performance/
A big game for the Under 18s tomorrow against second in the Northern Section Sheffield Wednesday - anyone who is thinking of going should note that the game is being played at Treforest, not Leckwith, with the kick off at 11 o clock.
https://www.cardiffcityfc.co.uk/news...eld-wednesday/
A 0-0 draw at Watford today for the under 23s, Cameron Coxe played an hour and Matt Hall saved a penalty. Five trialists; Jordan Armstrong (Scottish centre back), Callum Jones (midfielder from Bury?), Ned Clarke (non league striker?), Shamar Moore (https://www.readingfc.co.uk/teams/u1.../shamar-moore/) and Henry Ochieng (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Henry_Ochieng).
A 1-0 loss for an injury hit Under 18 team yesterday.
http://mauveandyellowarmy.net/