5-1, another for Nyakhuwa, a lovely passing move which reminded of that goal by James Waite for the under 23s it probably was back then when we put together a forty odd pass move.
+ Visit Cardiff FC for Latest News, Transfer Gossip, Fixtures and Match Results |
Brilliant team goal makes it 5
5-1, another for Nyakhuwa, a lovely passing move which reminded of that goal by James Waite for the under 23s it probably was back then when we put together a forty odd pass move.
Relating to my post above, here’s my blog piece on the game which featured what I called an extraordinary goal.
https://mauveandyellowarmy.net/maybe...ive-after-all/
Finished 5-1.
Cracking goal that 5th.
Colwill jnr has got the lot, workrate, drive, energy and scores goals. He should be above Wintle in the pecking order. He and Ashford have been a class above this season for the U21's.
Nyakuhwa is another that should be pushing the 1st team squad, he has physique, pace and scores goals. He is probably the next cab off the rank. Still an U18
First under-21 game I've been able to get to this season, better late than never and a decent one to start with. An impressive showing all round (apart from some chaotic passing out from the back) and the comments on here have covered most of it, including the terrific fifth goal. Peterborough were poor and had three trialists in their line-up but that shouldn't take away from the positive performance.
As with the Academy last week, the u-21s basically have the same set-up as the first team. The full backs were taking up some interesting positions at times but on the whole we're playing the same system and that has to be a good thing as lads are moving up through the levels here. A mixture of u-18s and u-21s today but everyone knew what they were doing and even when players had to change position they knew what was expected.
One weird situation is that we have three excellent under-18 left backs here. I know there was talk earlier in the season of how to fit Giles and Beecher in the same team but Jac Thomas plays there too (and for Wales u-17s) so it'll be interesting to see how that situation resolves itself. I hadn't seen Beecher before and he was good today although the defence didn't get tested too much.
The drive of Colwill is a big thing for me, its a threat we don't have at first team level. Even the number 10s don't push on enough up the middle but Colwill wants to do it again and again. Whether he'd be able to replicate that in the Championship we'll have to wait and see.
Nyakuwha is an interesting one. He's not the finished article quite yet but he seems to have all the right attributes, as you say. Played up front today but looked equally comfortable out wide and played a big part in the 5th goal as well as finishing it. Did a few flashy flicks and touches but was a good team player overall and impressed me again today.
A couple of months ago, people were saying we only had Jamie Collins who could play left back, but with Pagan and Tom Davies to come back, it's going to be the position where, maybe, we have the most depth.
Not seen enough of Jac Thomas to comment on him really, but I was not surprised at the time when it was Beecher who got some game time in the League Cup tie at blackburn rather than Giles, who was also on the bench for that game. We were losing at the time and, from what I've seen, although Giles is very good from dead ball situations, Beecher is the better of the two when it comes to the attacking side of things - the injury which has kept him out for so much of this season has set him back a bit, but he's someone who's always impressed me.
Giles strikes me as the better defender of the two and it might be significant that he's been used in a back three at times by the under 21s , with natural left sided centre backs seemingly being like gold dust in the modern game, I can see him moving across to play there if he grows to be tall enough - that would solve the problem of which one of the two to play if they both turn out to be good enough.
Beecher is someone who could easily play as an inverted, forward thinking full back, but that might mean that we'd see less of his excellent crossing ability which I think of as the most impressive e part of his game currently. Talking of inverted full backs, I was so impressed yesterday with Kpakio on the right, he's a decent size already and looked a natural for the role whereby full backs are expected to spend more time in the opposition half than their own.
https://x.com/CCFCRelated/status/1782760606384222339
From Llanwern. Let's hope we can hang onto him.
I'd agree with all of that. Although, as we have discussed before, I think that Beecher is more of a winger than a full back. When he came on for the 1st team it was as a left wing back. Luey Giles on the other hand plays LCB when we revert to 3 at the back.
I caught up with the match last night. I, too, was impressed with Kpakio. He has really developed this season, particularly physically. He and Spiers are an excellent pair of young right backs and I presume the current Wales U16 incumbent, Noah Williams, will sign on for next season. I think he's from Penarth.
It will be interesting if Tom Davies is offered a new contract. He is a very cultured footballer (as you would expect from a converted midfielder) and a good athlete, but needed to improve his defence. I like Joel Bagan, but Davies has always struck me as a better prospect. Didn't Bulut comment, preseason, about the coaching team being surprised how good he was.
So a wealth of young talent at left back, but do we think JC is good enough to be a 1st choice full back in a promotion winning team? Regrettably not, so I can see the club signing another. Managers rarely look beyond next season, which is one of modern football's worst qualities and why, for us, despite the improvement, on the pitch the failure this season has been that there has been no investment into the longer term. It has been about polishing Bulut's CV and proving Dalman right over Tan rather than a long term strategy.
A club that was in our position at the end of last season should have had a three year plan. But given that we were relegation favourites and under a transfer embargo maybe one season of a hard, pragmatic manager like Bulut was a wise choice.
Highlights from yesterday's 5-1 win for the under-21s here. Shame they don't show all the build-up to the fifth but a good package all the same. If you're a friend or relative of Luke Armstrong just wind through the first minute and a half.
https://www.cardiffcityfc.co.uk/vide...a-cc2bf408ded3
According to WOL Darren Davies, the guy brought in to help academy players break through to the first team, left the club in February after just 5 months in the role.
U21 | The young #Bluebirds earn a hard-fought point away from home against the Sky Blues, and are now unbeaten in five PDL matches! #CityAsOne pic.twitter.com/u8BgdiUZMn
— Cardiff City Academy (@CF11Academy) April 30, 2024
I see Giles played today.
U18 |
— Cardiff City Academy (@CF11Academy) May 1, 2024
@MillwallAcademy
01/05/2024
⏰ 1.30pm KO
PDL
The Den#CityAsOne pic.twitter.com/tDwVD3GTsa
Wales under 15s, featuring one City player in the starting line up, are currently 5-1 up against the Czech Republic.