Bristol City U21s face Cardiff City U21s tomorrow in the Professional Development League 2 and star forward Sam Bell previewed their match-up, as well as talking about his blistering form.
The Young Robins currently sit top of the southern league of the competition, 11 points ahead of tomorrow’s opponents Cardiff who sit in third.
“Games like Cardiff we always look forward to,” affirmed Bell.
REPORT: BRISTOL CITY UNDER-21S 5-0 CARDIFF CITY UNDER-21S
“They’ve always got that extra feistiness in them, and we turned them over here a few weeks ago so we’ll be looking to do the same again at their place.”
The Reds dispatched of their Welsh rivals 5-0 at the Robins High Performance Centre in September with the 20-year-old bagging a brace in that game.
The game against the Bluebirds will be the first league game for City since November 8 when they ran riot in another 5-0 win against Watford.
Since then, the Robins have been thriving in the Premier League Cup, sitting top of their group which features Professional Development League 1 sides in Newcastle United and Crystal Palace with just one game to go.
“We want to obviously win the league,” Bell said when previewing Cardiff.
“How last season ended with losing to Coventry in the Professional Development League 2 Play-Off] final was devastating.”
City are en route to replicate last year’s feat by reaching the final as they remain top of the league.
Top of the southern league face the winners of the northern league, currently Sheffield United, in a battle to gain promotion to the Professional Development League 1.
Englishman Bell has been on fire this season with 14 goals in nine games for the U21s, knocking on the door of Nigel Pearson’s first team with consistent outstanding performances for the U21s.
Post-match against Sheffield United U21s at the Robins High Performance Centre
“I’d like to think so,” Bell replied when asked whether he’d get another chance in the first team soon.
“It’s my job to score goals and obviously [I’ve] had a lot of success this season, so I’m just doing what I can do.”
The striker’s form paid off when Bell made a cameo for the first team on Sunday when he came on in the 84thminute against Swansea in their 1-1 draw in the FA Cup third round, his sixth appearance for the Robins’ senior side.
Reports emerged last month linking the player to League One side Cheltenham Town, and Bell spoke out on a potential loan move.
“I want to break into that first team and stay there”
Sam Bell
“My first priority is to play here for the first team.”
“If that’s not possible then maybe look at a loan, but I really want to kick on and break into that first team and stay there.”
Bell will be looking to follow in the footsteps of local academy products Tommy Conway and Antoine Semenyo in establishing himself as a first team regular at Ashton Gate.
He has linked up spectacularly well with fellow U21 front players such as the likes of Seb Palmer-Houlden and Sam Pearson this season, and spoke highly of the current crop of City young players.
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“[It] probably has to be the best [team] I’ve played with so far in terms of success – I think we’ve only lost two games this season and I’ve never been in a group that’s done that.”
The Young Robins face Cardiff on Tuesday, January 10 at the Robins High Performance Centre.
