Swansea City demolish Cardiff City 5-1 in U-23 South Wales derby win
The Swans ran out comfortable winners over their South Wales rivals in their first fixture of the Professional Development League
By Glen Williams
Monday 14th September 2020
Swansea City earned the bragging rights in the first South Wales derby of the season after earning a convincing 5-1 victory over Cardiff City under-23s in the Professional Development League 2.
The fixture represented the first competitive football either under-23s side had played since March, with both the Swans and the Bluebirds fielding strong teams.
Cardiff fielded a strong team today with many of the team part of the first team squad.
The Swans named an exciting forward line which included Jordan Garrick and Kristoffer Peterson, while the Bluebirds had the luxury of naming Greg Cunningham and Aden Flint in their defensive line, with Joe Day between the sticks.
Tom Sang and Mark Harris, two players who are involved in the first-team setup at Cardiff now, were also given game time, while new signing Chanka Zimba was given his debut.
But it was the hosts who struck first just after the half-hour mark.
Tavio d'Almeida gave away a free-kick in a dangerous area and Dan Williams stepped up and converted the dead-ball chance to put the Swans one ahead.
The game also had a little of that South Wales derby fire about it, too, when Garrick and Kieron Evans were booked following a little skirmish.
But there was no doubting Jon Grey's side were the ones in the ascendancy and Peterson, the £500,000 former Liverpool youth player who was signed from Heracles a year ago, doubled the lead just before the break, converting his chance from close range.
The young Bluebirds could barely get their breath back before Swansea struck again, this time Garrick doing the damage right on the stroke of half-time.
Steve Morison had work to do at their break.
And after the hour, Cardiff looked like they had just clawed their way back into the tie when debutant Zimba cut the deficit after latching on to Isaak Davies' ball.
But hopes of the Bluebirds producing a remarkable comeback were soon stymied when Ali Al-Hamadi restored the three-goal cushion almost 10 minutes later.
The Swans were in total control of the tie and it was quickly becoming a humiliating afternoon for Morison's young charges when Cameron Evans netted the hosts' fifth with more than 10 minutes left to play.
A less than ideal start for the young Bluebirds, while Swansea will be buoyed by such a convincing win over their biggest rivals to kick off the campaign in PDL2.
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