PRE-MATCH | TOM HUTTON
Ahead of the match, U18 manager Tom Hutton said: “The boys are coping very well with the busy schedule they have currently. With the constant run of games that we’ve got, it can be physically demanding. We’ve also got a lot of boys coming off the back of an intense international break, so you do have to try and modify the training because you want to take care of the group and make sure the individuals are being looked after within that. This is a challenge we look forward to. This is what the boys can expect if they get into the First Team, and we want to reinforce our standards within that, and make sure how to effectively manage time between games.
“The beauty of the games programme is that we have to adapt every week because we’re facing different styles and different formations. The thing for us is that we have to believe in the way we want to play and live up to the principles that we try and set every day. Of course, you have to recognise the strengths of the opposition and their potential weaknesses, but we always try and align our preparations with how we want to perform and how we can bring our identity into the game.
“We’ve had a couple of really good games against Bournemouth since they’ve stepped up into Category Two. We know the way that they want to try and play, and their style is quite similar to ours. I like a lot of what they do, and I think it will be a good challenge for us as a group. We’ve worked this week to get ready for this game. It’s really important that we respect the strengths of the opponent like we always do, but it will be about how we can deliver our principles. We want to try and win, and the boys deserve credit for recent results, but we’ve also got to deliver a performance that we can be proud of and one that looks like a Cardiff City performance.”