Sobering reality for Cardiff youngsters

CARDIFF City's youngsters suffered a chastening night at Cardiff City Stadium as they were thumped 5-1 by AFC Wimbledon in the Vertu Trophy last-32.

- GLEN WILLIAMS Football writer [e-mail]

Cardiff's Tanatswa Nyakuhwa is challenged by Wimbledon's Joe Lewis

(Kian Abdullah/Huw Evans Agency)

While this competition is designed to give valuable minutes to the club's emerging talent, the level of performance on display was nowhere near good enough, with individual errors and poor defending repeatedly punished by a clinical Dons side, including Aron Sasu who smashed home four goals.

The tone was set midway through the first half when Sasu opened the scoring after a disastrous sequence at the back. Tanatswa Nyakuhwa was dispossessed cheaply before Dylan Lawlor mistimed his challenge, allowing Sasu to skip round him and lash beyond Matt Turner from a tight angle. It was the first of several moments the young Bluebirds will want to forget.

Cardiff had actually started brightly, dominating the ball and carving out two good chances within the opening 12 minutes.