Nathan Blake says Cardiff City’s crop of youngsters must prove they can make the step up to the Championship next season.
The youthful Bluebirds secured automatic promotion from League One last season after finishing second with an impressive tally of 91 points.
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But ex-Wales striker Blake says it remains to be seen how Cardiff’s crop of younger players fare in the second tier.
“Cardiff are a young, vibrant, very good footballing team,” said Blake.
“But the question still remains, can those players do it at the level above?”
Cardiff boss Brian Barry-Murphy caught the eye after giving many academy products a first-team chance during an impressive first campaign in charge.
Having been named head coach at the Cardiff City Stadium last summer, Barry-Murphy transformed the mood at a club who had just suffered relegation.
“Cardiff getting relegated [meant Cardiff] brought in a very good manager who did the opposite to what every other manager has done at the club,” Blake added.
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“He brought through a group of youngsters on top of a couple of others who are already established, signed a few experienced players and looked to have a really good recipe for success, and it worked.
“The question is now can that crop of youngsters go and do it against a better level of winger, striker, defender, attacker?”
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