Wealdstone FC 3, Cardiff City Development 0
Teenage Portuguese winger Bruno Tavares was one of seven trialists in Cardiff City’s development squad for their pre-season fixture against Wealdstone at Grosvenor Vale, London.
The 16-year-old right-winger from Lisbon plays for SP Sporting Juvenis and is a Portuguese youth international.
Midfield player Brandon Burrows, aged 18, in from North Wales and played in the Uefa Under-19 Championships for Wales.
Burrows, a former Blacon High School, Chester pupil, has come through the Wrexham academy.
Teenage striker Ned Clarke has joined Northwood FC on loan from Wingate and Finchley FC where he was a regular scorer for their under-23 team.
Dylan Summer, Thag Kennedy, Ryan Price and Dan Martin are other trialists in the Bluebirds’ under-23 squad.
TNS full-back Pryce, 20, has impressed during his trial at Cardiff and, along with Martin, was on Cardiff’s pre-season trip to Devon and Cornwall.
Cardiff’s starting line-up at Wealdstone included senior players Stuart O’Keefe and Omar Bogle, but the Bluebirds were beaten 3-0 by Vanarama National League Wealdstone.
Goals from Wadah Ahmidi, Reece Harris and Bradley Bubb earned the Stones victory.
Cardiff agreed to this match as part of defender Ciaron Brown’s transfer from Wealdstone to South Wales in the summer when he signed a contract until 2020.
Cardiff started quickly and home goalkeeper Callum Thomas, making his home debut, tipped Jacob Evans’ effort over the bar after two minutes.
Bradley Bubb then forced Cardiff goalkeeper Matthew Hall into a big save when he headed Rhys Tyler’s cross back across the face of goal. Hall threw himself to claw the ball back into into his chest.
The Stones took the lead after 28 minutes and it was a fine strike from Ahmidi, who swerved a superb 25-yard effort away from the keeper and into the bottom corner.
Nine changes were made by the hosts at half-time and two combined for Wealdstone’s next effort. Glenn Wilson headed Danny Green’s corner goalwards only to see it cleared off the line by Evans.
Wealdstone doubled their lead just after the hour minutes when David Pratt shrugged off a defender to latch onto a long ball before squaring it back across the box to the trialist Reece Harris, who fired low into the net.
Evans’ beautifully struck free-kick came off the crossbar eight minutes from time before striker Bubb added Wealdstone’s third goal, shooting hard and low past substitute ‘keeper Warren Burwood to seal the game and complete Wealdstone’s pre-season with a win.
Wealdstone: Thomas, Tyler (Sheppard 45), Grant (Demuria 45), Stevens (Wilson 45), Okimo (Mambo 45), Poku (Harris 45), Monakana (Lench 45), Ahmidi (Clark 45), White (Pratt 45), Bubb, Hudson-Odoi (Green 45).
Cardiff City: Matthew Hall, Ryan Pryce, Dan Martin, Stuart O’Keefe, Ciaron Brown, Jack Bodenham, Jack McKay, Jacob Evans, Omar Bogle, Dylan Summer, Mark Harris. Subs used: Warren Burwood, Laurence Wootton, Bruno Tavares, Thag Kennedy, Ned Clarke, Brandon Burrows, Paul McKay.
Attendance: 322.