Cardiff City boss Darren Purse was left happy with his side's first win of the season over Peterborough United on Tuesday.
The youngsters ran out 2-1 winners at Cardiff City Stadium thanks to goals from Joel Colwill and Eli King.
Purse expressed his happiness with the team prior to the game, adding: “The first team have had an excellent pre-season, and it showed with the game against Norwich. If we can start the season in the same form, and with the same confidence, it will stand us in good stead.”
There were strong performances all over the pitch, something Purse will be extremely pleased about. Senior manager Steve Morison will no doubt be keeping an eye on these players to see whether they will be part of his Championship plans this season. Certain individuals had noticeably impressive performances against Posh. Here we run the rule over them...
Jai Semenyo
The right-back joined the Bluebirds in June 2021 following a successful trial period and the 19-year-old has continued to build in confidence since his move to south Wales. He was a standout performer in the game with clever interceptions and driving runs into midfield. He showed quick feet, power and strength in going forward and defending, combined with intelligent passing play with Cameron Antwi in the midfield and Jack Leahy down the line.
The defender was the catalyst for the opening goal with his perfectly timed interception before the ball was played to fellow defender Joe Bagan who provided the assist. He was steady and solid in his defensive duties yet dangerous and evasive in his attacking moves.
Furthermore, he seemed to need little instruction from Purse compared to others, plus he looked calm and collected when on the ball.
Joel Colwill
The younger brother of first-team star Rubin, the 17-year-old put pen to paper on a new agreement with the club back in July. He completed his first season as a scholar, making appearances for both City's U18 and U23 sides throughout the 2021/22 campaign.
Against the Posh his perfectly timed run and cool finish boosted the Bluebirds from the off. He isn’t afraid to put himself about, sprinting to close down defenders and flying into 50/50 challenges, making it extremely difficult for the visitors to play out from the back.
His driving runs created space for the midfield and caused the defence havoc at times and he was extremely unlucky not to get another goal. Due to his tender years it seems unlikely we’ll see him in the first-team fray any time soon but he’s definitely one for the future. Tuesday's performance will definitely put him in the manager’s mind.
Eli King
The standout performance was Eli King.
The Welsh footballer made his first-team debut in October 2021 as a second-half substitute in the 2–0 Championship defeat against Middlesbrough. Since then, he has made four appearances for the first team in the second tier.
Against Peterborough the 19-year-old was levels above everyone else at times, looking like the most experienced player on the pitch. King bossed the midfield from the start, breaking up the play, intelligently moving into space and passing the ball, helping to link defence and attack. He was the focal point of many of the attacks, showing his quality breaking forward but not getting caught out of position.
His attacking ability was showcased most noticeably with the Bluebirds' second goal. After the short corner, King was positioned perfectly; he received the ball then rifled it into the back of the net with a beautiful swirling strike to make it 2-0 to the home side.
He also linked up well with Antwi in the midfield; together they bossed the midfield leading to complete control of the game in the first half. Despite his age he showed leadership qualities, relaying instructions to his fellow players while not getting distracted from his own role.
It’s difficult to know whether he’ll become a regular fixture in the Bluebirds starting XI but Purse isn’t the only manager to have noticed his talent. Back in November 2021 Wales U21s manager Paul Bodin brought King into his Euro 2023 qualifying plans for the first time. With more performances of this nature, Morison will have to take note.
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