Joe Ralls says Cardiff City’s youngsters will play a key role at the end of the league season.
The Bluebirds took a huge step towards survival with a stunning 3-1 victory over Blackpool on Good Friday, with the Bluebirds captain scoring his team’s final goal in a superb first-half blitz.
It was a result that was the perfect answer to last weekend’s South Wales derby defeat to Swansea City and also keeps their young bid for survival alive under Sabri Lamouchi.
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Arriving in January, Sori Kaba and Connor Wickham also found the net in the Lancashire sun and their presence gave City a new dimension as they looked to build momentum before the end of the season.
And, as Ralls points out, the pair also helped lighten the load on Cardiff’s bright young stars, with three academy aces – Rubin Colville, Isaac Davies and Mark Harris – leading the line from the bench.
“The two guys who came in in January helped,” said Ralls after the Bloomfield Road win. “Just adding a little competition, firepower, different types of personnel. Obviously, the bigger guys can get the ball into the penalty area.
“In the first half of the season, we put a lot of trust in some young players. Is not fair. To get a little bit more numbers and get everyone to reset and do the work.
“I told Rubin in the locker room that it was done in Treforest, the front three at the end. Isaac, Sparky and Rubin and then I try to survive in the LWB.
“It’s great and these guys have a big part to play. But the little experience with Kaba and Connor has helped us a lot in attack and we have to keep giving them, try to put the ball in the area and let them do what they want. Today they demonstrated what a threat they can be.”
Colville, Harris and Davies haven’t had as much playing time as they would have liked with Lamouchi, but Ralls insists his goal is to impress his boss in training camp and have a chance to impress.
“I think they understand that they are still young players learning the game. We were in that situation for most of the season and, especially in the second half after the coach arrived, it was difficult.
“Maybe this is not the time to play with young players. They are ready, train well and will be ready when needed. The manager isn’t afraid to drop them off on time. They will be needed closer to the end of the season. They’re all good guys, that’s what I like most about them. good guys. They train hard. They work a lot. They want to achieve success in the club. I hope they can continue to progress.”
Source: Wales Online

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