Axel Donczew became the youngest player to play for Cardiff City on Tuesday night, with Aaron Ramsey’s record being broken twice in the sides Vertu Trophy clash against Newport County.
Ramsey’s record had stood for 18 years before the 16-year-old Rob Tankiewicz started last nights game. Unfortunately for the midfielder, he would hold that record for just 64 minutes.
Bang on 64′, Tankiewicz was replaced by Donczew, who at 15 years and 234 days, whisked away his record and took the crown of youngest player to enter the field for the South Wales club.
Donczew and Tankiewicz Have “Earned Their Place”
Cardiff head coach Brain Barry-Murphy says the inclusion of the youngster is not a gimmick, insisting both have earned their place and it is a testament to the culture of the club.
“I think it’s probably a bit surreal for them in this moment, but you can see from their families it’s an extraordinarily powerful occasion for them,” said Barry-Murphy.
“It’s an insight into what we want this club to become – exceptionally talented players from the city representing their home club.
“Those two have really earned their place in this squad irrespective of how many players we had away or not available. We have the highest hopes for them the future.” (via BBC Sport).
Both players are products of Cardiff’s youth academy and have represented Wales at youth level but are also eligible for Poland.
The youngsters are both seen as versatile midfielders, especially in central areas. Tankiewicz is more used to an attacking role, whilst Donczew has played deeper but Barry-Murphy felt comfortable using them in a number of midfield roles during the game, including wide positions.
“You got a first sight of Rob, who had a really good debut and was probably close to coming on on Saturday [in the 4-3 League One win over Leyton Orient] and also for Axel to come on and show real signs of what we’ve seen in training at such a young age,” Barry-Murphy added.
“We see them very much inside. We finished the game with Troy Perrett, who’s never played wide, on one side, and Axel Donczew on the other side. He’s very much a central player who can play inside in attacking midfield areas.
“Chris Willock wasn’t fit after the weekend and there was nobody else. In their first game, we would like them to play in their best position but, just based on what we have and what we could do tonight, I thought they adapted well to what we asked of them.”
Cardiff Remain on Course for Promotion Fight
Whist Cardiff may have lost in the Vertu Trophy despite the efforts of Donczew and Tankiewicz, they remain on course in League One to be in the promotion race.
Despite slipping up to Burton Albion, the Bluebirds sit third in the league, two points above the chasing Lincoln City and just a point behind Bradford City who sit second. Not only are Cardiff in a good spot as they look forward to their next game against Reading but they also boast the best goal difference in the division with +10.
One of the big plus points to the Welsh side’s season so far, has been the spread of goals within the team.
Whilst the Bluebirds do not currently have one of the top goal scorers in the league, several of the team’s top scorers come from midfield, with both Rubin Colwill and Chris Willock on three and Isaak Davies on two.
Boss Barry-Murphy will be hoping to continue this trend if the young pairing of Tankiewicz and Donczew are called upon.
