Despite the defeat by Wolves Under-21s on Saturday, there was much to be encouraged by if you are a Cardiff City fan.
For starters, of course, there was the return of Isaak Davies, the Wales Under-21s striker who has not kicked a ball all season after suffering a knee injury in the summer. It was positive to have him back in the mix and there is hope he can play a part for the first team sooner rather than later.
Secondly, it was yet more minutes under the belt for Sean Morrison. The former Bluebirds captain turned out for his third under-21s game since returning from his ACL rupture, with talks over his future set to be thrashed out over the coming weeks.
But perhaps one that slipped under the radar was the introduction of Wales Under-17 international Gabriele Biancheri in the second half. Darren Purse brought the 16-year-old on to replace Davies at the break.
And, despite playing five years above himself, he was the one who almost provided the equaliser for the young Bluebirds at Leckwith, showing just why faith was placed in him to make the step up to the under-21s.
He latched on to a looped through ball before bringing it under his spell, opening up his body and attempting to bend it into the corner. However, Wolves keeper Andreas Sondergaard saved well.
The step up from the under-18s is just reward for the positive start to the campaign which Biancheri has enjoyed. He has 17 goals and five assists in all football over the last few months, including a brace against Bristol City last week for the under-18s which saw Cardiff come away with the spoils in the Severnside derby.
The young striker has also caught the eye of clubs higher up the footballing ladder. With Brexit rules now seeing Category One academies look to prise top assets from other clubs in the UK, such as when Leeds United signed Charlie Crew from Cardiff in the summer, the Bluebirds must protect their best young players to either prop up the first team or earn them serious money further down the line.
Reports earlier this year suggested Premier League sides Chelsea and Manchester United were monitoring Cardiff young gun Biancheri, however they managed to keep hold of the forward and are now allowing him to progress through the ranks.
After seeing the likes of Mark Harris, Chanka Zimba and Davies graduate to the first team in recent years, with James Crole also very much pushing, Biancheri will likely be heartened to see the pathway in front of him. He trained with the under-21s last week before getting the call to play, which, at 16, points to the club's faith in him.
It's also worth mentioning winger Tanatswa Nyakuhwa, who is also catching the eye with his impressive numbers. The forward, 17, has notched seven goals in 12 games for the under-18s this season after producing 17 goals and 10 assists for the under-16s last year. He is very much on the radar of the under-21s, too.
After Crole, Morgan Wigley, Caleb Hughes and Joel Colwill stepped up to play against Premier League side Aston Villa in the Peter Whittingham Memorial Match last week, all of whom acquitted themselves very well, the club's renewed mantra of bringing through youth does appear to be somewhere near the top of the agenda.
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