Cardiff City under-21’ were held to a 1-1 draw with Sheffield Wednesday at the Cardiff City Stadium. The Bluebirds raced into an early lead through a powerful strike from Isaak Davies before being pegged back by the Owls just seven minutes later through a goal from Jay Glover.
A number of first-team players were given the chance to get some minutes under their belts, with eight of Darren Purse's starting team having previously made appearances for the senior side.
Sabri Lamouchi will no doubt have been keeping a close eye on how some of the more experienced players got on, given Cardiff’s squad depth will be tested in the next month or so with eight games remaining as the club look to avoid relegation to League One.
With that in mind, here are the three players who stood out for the young Bluebirds in the Professional Development League clash
Isaak Davies
A familiar face to Bluebirds fans, Davies was impressive throughout Tuesday’s game, scoring Cardiff’s goal.
There was only five minutes on the clock when Davies struck a powerful half volley that beat Luke Jackson in the Wednesday goal. In truth, Davies looked a class above the rest and got 63 minutes under his belt as he looks to force his way into Lamouchi’s starting team.
It’s been a frustrating season for academy product Davies owing to a long-term injury which meant he missed the first half of the campaign. He’s made only eight first-team appearances in total.
Indeed Davies has made only two starts this season, just one of them in the league, coming against West Brom last month. His impressive performance for Purse’s under-21s side may just have helped to convince Lamouchi that Davies could be real asset to Cardiff in their relegation battle.
Cameron Antwi
Midfielder Antwi kept up his impressive run of form for Purse’s side with an assured performance in the centre of midfield against the young Owls.
Antwi joined the Bluebirds in August 2022 after being released by fellow Championship strugglers Blackpool. He’s been a regular in the middle of park for the young Bluebirds this season and has been impressive throughout.
Antwi has lower league first-team experience to his name which came during stints on loan at Southport and Telford while contracted to Blackpool and he also made one Carabao Cup appearance for the Tangerines last season. Whether Antwi is capable of making the step-up to the Championship is a different question, but the youngster looks capable of making a name for himself at EFL level in the near future.
The 21-year-old is out of contract with the Bluebirds at the end of the season so it will be interesting to see whether he’s done enough to earn himself another deal with the club.
Eli King
The 20-year-old defensive midfielder was given the captain’s armband for Tuesday’s game as he looked to re-stake a claim for a first-team spot.
King spent the first half of the season on loan at League Two side Crewe, making 18 appearances before returning to the Bluebirds for the second half of the campaign. King is yet to play for the Bluebirds under Lamouchi, last appearing for the first team in the EFL Cup defeat by Portsmouth in August.
Given the Bluebirds' precarious league position, it’s unlikely King will see any game time between now and the end of the season but the Wales youth international showed with his performance for the under-21s that he’s certainly one for the future.
The spell playing competitive football at Crewe would have done King the world of good, proving he’s capable of playing in the EFL at just 20. A good end to the season with Purse’s young Bluebirds will help King to stake a claim for a first team spot next season.
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