Trialist Bilel Mohsni was amongst the players on target as Town’s U21s thrashed Cardiff 6-0 at Playford Road this lunchtime. The Southend man slammed in the third from 30 yards in the second half, Ronan Murray, Kyle Hammond, David October, Mark Timlin and Jack Marriott netting the other goals.
Versatile French-Tunisian Mohsni, who TWTD revealed on Monday would be training with the Blues this week, lined-up alongside Joe Whight at centre-half with summer signings Elliott Hewitt and Guirane N’Daw making their first appearance in Town shirts at right-back and in central midfield respectively.
Mohsni, N’Daw and Nathan Ellington were the three permitted overage outfield players while former Cardiff man Arran Lee-Barrett was in goal with overage keepers also allowed.
Senegalese international N’Daw made an early impact, feeding in Cormac Burke on the right but the Northern Irishman scuffed his shot across the face of goal.
The Blues were starting the stronger side and in the 10th minute the impressive Mohsni headed into Cardiff keeper Elliot Parish’s arms after a corner.
N’Daw was close to putting Town in front in the 19th minute when a corner was cleared to him on the edge of the area. The man on loan from St Etienne for the season took the ball down, drifted past a Cardiff player before curling a shot which ended up on the roof of the net.
On 33, the former Birmingham man brought the ball out of defence and found Murray wide on the right before continuing his burst forward. The Irishman’s ball wasn’t far away from reaching N’Daw but Cardiff’s Declan John just got a toe in to take the ball away from him.
The Town goal which had been coming was scored a minute later. New boy Hewitt sent in an impressive long throw from the right, Mohsni flicked on and Murray stabbed home from close range.
Burke shot just over three minutes later with the Blues deservedly ahead at the break, if not always at their most fluent.
Hewitt was replaced by first-year scholar Kyle Hammond, the former Macclesfield man having played his first game since undergoing hip operations in early March. The Wales U21 international's lack of match fitness was rarely shown up during a 45 minutes in which he also illustrated his attacking instincts and a very useful looking long throw.
John hit an early second half strike for what was a young Bluebirds side wearing their new red kit, and Lee-Barrett did well to save.
Five minutes after the restart it was 2-0. Sub Hammond brought the ball forward down the right and played it inside to Byron Lawrence on the edge of the area, who in turn found Ellington on the left, just inside the box. The former Wigan striker lifted over a delicate cross which Hammond met at the far post to head home a well-worked goal.
Irish winger Mark Timlin replaced the impressive N’Daw just before the hour, the Senegalese having shown strength and leadership at the heart of the midfield as well as making the odd foray forward.
There was a scare for the Blues in the 61st minute when Cardiff sub Kadeem Harris dispossessed Hammond on the Town right and took the ball forward before forcing Lee-Barrett into his best save of the afternoon across to his left.
Timlin sent over a dangerous ball from the left in the 63rd minute after good work from Lawrence and left-back David October but no one managed to get on the end of it.
A minute later, it was 3-0. The ball was cleared to Mohsni 30 yards out after a set piece and the trialist from Southend hammered a low shot which Bluebirds keeper Parish couldn’t prevent from ripping his net down to his right. The Frenchman was warmly congratulated by the rest of the Town side.
It was almost 4-0 within 60 seconds with the Blues now rampant. Murray sent over a cross from the right and Timlin was just prevented from netting at the far post by a defender. Soon after, Lawrence shot wide from 25 yards.
On 75 October added Town’s fourth, bringing the ball forward on the left before hitting a low strike across Parish and into the net.
Joe Ralls shot over for the visitors in the 77th minute but it was almost all Town by this stage and soon after it was 5-0.
Hammond again did well down the right, cutting the ball back to fellow sub Timlin breaking in from the left, whose low strike flew back across the keeper and into the net.
Jack Marriott took over from Murray for the final four minutes and got his name on the scoresheet in injury time when he dispossessed a dithering defender on the edge of the box and beat the keeper to make it 6-0.
It was a dominant overall display from a Town side with everyone having played their part, including the three subs who all scored.
New boy N’Daw was a strong and powerful presence in the centre of the midfield and looks to be just the sort of midfielder with defensive attributes which Paul Jewell has been looking to add to his squad.
Mohsni, referred to as 'Bill' by his team-mates, put in a similarly dominant display at the heart of the defence and appeared to have settled into the squad well during his week at the club. His infamous fiery nature was only evident once, moments before the whistle, when he clashed with Bluebirds striker Jesse Darko after a heavy challenge.
The keen and enthusiastic Frenchman, who was given instruction at length by coach Mark Kennedy - a former Cardiff player - before the game, will have done his chances of winning a move no harm with his defensive performance or his excellent goal.
It would be churlish to pick out standout performers in what was an excellent team performance, albeit against not overly strong opposition, from the overage players such as N’Daw and Mohsni to the first-year scholars such as midfielder Amir Berkane and right-back Kyle Hammond.
Manager Jewell watched the second half with assistant Chris Hutchings, keeper coach Malcolm Webster, academy director Bryan Klug and plenty of his staff present throughout.
Town: Lee-Barrett, Hewitt (Hammond 46), October, N'Daw (Timlin 59), Whight, Mohsni, Lawrence, Berkane, Ellington, Murray (Marriott 86), Burke. Unused: Crowe, Winter.
Cardiff City: Parish, Oshilaja, John, Wharton, Nugent, Keinan, St Luce, Ralls, Darko, Jarvis, Hill. Subs: C Watkins, Massaro, Harris, B Watkins, Owen. Referee: Neil West.