34 Goal Starlets Set For Opener

In our latest column from the Academy, U18 coach Mike Marsh looks ahead to Saturday's league opener against Cardiff City.

The big kick off is almost upon us and everyone involved in the U18 set up can't wait to get started.

We feel we have made some good strides in the past few weeks and our final pre-season encounter against Watford last weekend gave us a better idea of where we are as a side.

Everyone has got a lot of minutes under their belts and shown what they can offer us this year. We've played eight games, which may seem like a lot, but I felt we needed that many because of the number of players we have. There are 20-plus lads in the squad and they are all now raring to go so we should be ready to get off to a good start.

A lot has been made of the fact we have netted 34 goals in that time but in our earlier matches we were playing against sides that were probably below the level we are normally used to.

As we got towards the end of the pre-season program we didn't trouble the scoresheet as often because the quality of opposition was higher. We only managed one at Middlesbrough and then we failed to fire against Watford. That's not to say we shouldn't have scored more in those two matches because I felt we should have.

But overall, I feel we are heading in the right direction and it was nice to score goals whilst keeping clean sheets too.

It's no secret that we've got an array of attacking talent in our side but we've also worked hard at the back. We've done work on our defensive shape every week and I think it has paid dividends in our last couple of matches.

It sets us up nicely for our first league game of the new season against Cardiff City on Saturday morning. We are confident we are ready for the challenge and I'm certain we won't be found wanting in terms of our fitness levels.

If I'm honest I don't know too much about the Bluebirds but I'm sure they'll be a strong, physical side and it's our job to be ready for them.

I've had a starting XI in mind for the past month or so. I've been 80 per cent certain of who would play. Obviously performances of certain individuals in that time means one or two players have come to the fore whilst others may have drifted out.

We are almost there though and it'll just be a case of finalizing things between now and the big kick off. We can't wait.