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The Cardiff City manager is in somewhat of a fortunate situation of having an unusually large number of development players who are worthy of first team consideration and has in fact rewarded their progress by giving them opportunities. It is perhaps not surprising that the majority of these young men are Welsh eligible. as the focus of their recruitment occurs within the boundaries of our great nation. From our perspective as being ones with an interest in the progression of young guns, it is a very pleasing scenario. There were quite a few first team debuts handed out last season and the trend is already being replicated in this one. Defender Ronan Kpakio (2007) was elevated to a full professional status in the summer after only one season as a scholar and then featured prominently in first team pre-season preparations. He impressed at that time and subsequently made his competitive debut playing the whole of the first round Carabao Cup tie, adding to his appearance total by being a starter in the next round match. He has represented Wales at the young age groups, including being in last season’s very successful U-17 squad. He was in the U-18 squad in action during the international break just ended and a complete set of intermediate caps is an eventual possibility for his collection, maybe even progressing to the senior team. In the second round game, eight of the nine substitutes were Welsh youngsters and two of them were handed debuts when introduced off the bench. Midfielder Cody Twose (2006) enjoyed the thrill of competing for the Blues senior side for a little over the last quarter of the game. He has played in all the Wales age group teams up to his present situation of being a member of the U-19 squad. Attacker Isaac Jefferies (2005) was introduced into the match for the remaining twelve minutes plus added time as a direct replacement for Ronan. His versatility allowed his insertion in a midfield role as Cardiff added a more attacking intent in a match that was at that point tied. Isaac has been capped one time at both U-18 and 19 levels but may have been denied an opportunity for more due to suffering some lengthy injury issues on occasions.

It is undeniably an excellent statistic for them to achieve, but just one in a series of hurdles needing to be negotiated. It undoubtedly signifies the quality they possess, now they must continue to impress the manager sufficiently to earn more game time involvements, gather valuable experience that improves their contributions when doing so, and persuade the manager they are candidates for regular selection. Extremely difficult obstacles to overcome in present circumstances, which demand positive results as a management objective. This understandably creates a reluctance to rely on inexperienced players who conceivably might be more susceptible to costly lapses. It is the same nature of the beast that has always existed for footballers trying to establish a successful career although almost certainly more intense for all concerned nowadays. The answer has always been that predominantly those with a combination of correct determination and dedication are the beneficiaries, and I’m sure that present day aspirants do apply those principles to the best of their ability during their endeavours. Generally, nothing less is the only option, though still not a guarantee of avoiding disappointment.

Recruited by Manchester United as a schoolboy having previously been in the Cardiff City academy, forward Chris Popov (2004) subsequently moved on to join Leicester City, becoming a scholar at the club. On completion of that time, the club retained his services, and he has continued to impress the coaching staff in development football. After previous occasions of involvement in first team training, Chris made his senior debut when inserted as a substitute seventeen minutes from the end of their second round Carabao Cup tie. Very soon after that, Barrow negotiated with the Foxes for him to join them on a season long loan. He has already added to his minutes of first team experience by playing in a whole League 2 game for his temporary employers and will likely add many more such instances over the coming months. He missed their most recent game as he was on duty with the Wales U-21 squad. This is not a new experience for him having already played for Wales teams throughout the age groups. Chris operates primarily as the main striking option but is also very adept if asked to switch to a supporting role as a wide player. His aim, I’m sure, will be to add the necessary nuances to his game, represent his parent club regularly and gain selection to the Wales senior squad.

Another first team debutant this season is Norwich City attacking midfielder Elliot Myles (2007) who was introduced off the bench for the last ten minutes or so of the club’s Carabao Cup first round match in the first week of the season. Listed as a member of their U-21 squad, he has been on the bench for the first three Championship matches and so it seems that there will be a mix of U-21 and senior team involvements for Elliot as the season progresses. The coaching staff at the club have obviously decided that he is talented enough to be exposed to tougher challenges than most of his peers, his only likely U-18 duty could be in the FA Youth Cup should his assistance be required. Elliot, though still young, has already enjoyed a very busy international career. Upon confirming his eligibility, he accepted the invitation to join the Welsh footballing family as a schoolboy but was also coveted by the English counterparts. This has created a situation whereby he already has a sizeable collection of caps, a significant majority of them Welsh and thankfully so from my perspective, as selection invitations have been received from both camps. Along with his caps his goals per game record for Wales is an eye-catching ratio and he was another important contributor to last season’s successful U-17’s campaign. A member of the present Wales U-18 squad, which nation secures his allegiance in future we shall have to wait to witness.

 

[ photo embedded from FAW cymru ]