U18s Beaten By Cardiff
Tuesday, 11th Mar 2025 16:12 by Brian Waller
The Blues’ U18s were comfortably beaten 5-1 by Cardiff City at Playford Road earlier today.
It was a bright and sunny but chilly day for Town's rearranged match against the Bluebirds, which was postponed in early January due to a frozen pitch.
Sadly, it was not to be a good day for the home team who were well beaten.
In the Ipswich line-up at centre-back was Harvey Duggins, who had previously been at Colchester United as an U16 but who was recently released.
On six minutes, the City right-back Noah Williams surged forward, although looking a touch offside, but his attempt was blocked. Soon after, a nasty looking challenge by Stevy Brouvers on Mannie Barton left the visiting player needing treatment.
Jack Sykes then fed Williams, whose drive flew across the box, but this eluded everybody.
But the visitors’ good display was then rewarded in the 21st minute when Alyas Debono moved forward from the defence and fired home from 25 yards, beating keeper Will Fletcher to his right.
From then on it was really total Cardiff dominance with just the rare moment of hope from the home team.
A long ball forward nearly saw Jackson Nsofor onto it but the ball ran on to Cardiff keeper Daniel Higgs.
Tjay Parfitt then got in down the left to set up Sykes but he totally mishit his shot badly wide.
However, on 33, Jacob Hobson came in from the right, was fouled in the box by Nelson Eze and a penalty was awarded, which Mannie Barton, who scored against Town’s U21s in two games earlier in the season, confidently dispatched to Fletcher's right as he went the other way.
As the away team continued to threaten, Hayden Allmark fired just wide of the left-hand post.
A bad home first half was compounded in the 41st minute when Eze's attempt to clear hit a player and rebounded perfectly for Sykes to fire home and make it 3-0.
Barton with a cross shot saw Fletcher just get a touch on it to concede a corner then from a right-wing corner, the shot by Hobson smacked the far post and came out again.
As a result of the poor first half, two changes were made by Town as Eze and Lenny O'Sullivan were replaced by Isaac Boakye-King and Jayden Adetiba, who recently joined the Blues after leaving Arsenal.
Brouvers went to left-back with trialist Duggins at right-back. A minute after the hour mark, things got even worse as Hobson squared the ball for Lennon Talbot to fire home and then that led two more changes as Archie Brown and Johrmi Enkotosia replaced Duggins and Shakil Nicolaou.
It was 5-0 on 66 when Barton picked his spot to score his second of the game.
Finally, Ipswich got on the goal sheet on 70 when Nsofor's shot was charged down and, with the keeper out of position, Johrmi Enkotosia fired home from a distance out.
Four minutes later, Cardiff brought on Oliver Walsh and Riley Hilaire-Clarke for Sykes and Talbot.
Charlie Compton drove a free-kick just wide for Town before Nsofor won another and from Compton’s delivery in, Callum Frith took a knock.
A more dramatic Cardiff change saw keeper Higgs and both full-backs Williams and Parfitt replaced by keeper Corey Foggarty, Leeyan Phelan and Oliver Reynolds.
For Town, Adetiba fed in Brouvers who shot goalwards rather weakly and then the Town keeper was forced into a save which conceded a corner.
City should have got a sixth goal as Barton set up Phelan but he dragged his shot very badly wide.
Teams - Ipswich Town: Fletcher, Brouvers, Frith, Duggins (Brown 61), O’Sullivan (Adetiba 46), Chenery, Eze (Boakye-King 46), Longwe, Nsofor, Compton, Nicolaou (Enkotosia 61).
Cardiff: Higgs (Foggarty), Williams (Phelan), Debono, Edwards, Parfitt (Reynolds), Rees, Talbot (Hilaire-Clarke 74), Hobson, Sykes (Walsh 74), Allmark, Barton.
_Photo: TWTD_
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