Bluebirds’ New Boy Moving From Bangor To Cardiff

Former West Brom and Bangor City player Matthew Hall has joined Andy Dibble’s goalkeeping group at Cardiff City.

West Midlands-born Hall, 20, will play for the Bluebirds’ under-23 team during the club’s pre-season tour to Devon and Cornwall.

Goalkeeping coach Dibble now has five senior players in his group with Hall joining Neil Etheridge, new signing Alex Smithies, Brian Murphy and Lee Camp, who has a year left on his contract.

New Bluebirds’ goalkeeper Alex Smithies. Pic: Cardiff City.

Etheridge and Murphy have signed extensions to their Cardiff deals, while Yorkshireman Smithies is a new signing from Queens Park Rangers.

Camp ended last season on loan at Sunderland and has yet to make a first team appearance for Cardiff.

Jordan Duffey, George Ratcliffe and Warren Burwood are the three goalies in Craig Bellamy’s under-18 squad.

Hall, from the village of Wordsley, near Dudley, joined Welsh Premier League Bangor from West Bromwich Albion during February 2017.

Cardiff City goalkeeper Neil Etheridge (right) pictured with Bluebirds first team coach and ex-Manchester City goalie Andy Dibble. Pic: Cardiff City FC.

He was a regular in the Baggies under-18 team and trained with the first team in 2015-16.

Scottish Premier League Hamilton Academicals are also keen on Hall, but he opted on a switch from Bangor in North Wales, to take up a Premier League challenge in the South.

He left Bangor after they were relegated from the Welsh Premier to Huws Gray Alliance football after failing to obtain a Football Association of Wales domestic licence.

The Bluebirds will pay a nominal compensation fee for Hall because he is aged under 24.

He is Cardiff’s fifth signing of the summer after Greg Cunningham, Josh Murphy, Bobby Reid and Smithies.

Their first pre-season fixture is against Welsh League Taffs Well at Rhiw Ddar on Friday (7pm) before they set off for a week-long stay in Cornwall.

Goalkeeper Brian Murphy. Pic: CCFC.

Cardiff City pre-season fixtures

July

Friday 13: Taffs Well FC v Cardiff City (Rhiw’r Ddar, 7pm)

Sunday 15: Truro City v Cardiff City u-23 (Treyew Road, 2pm)

Monday 16: Tavistock AFC v Cardiff City (Langsford Park, 7pm)

Tuesday 17: AFC St Austell v Cardiff City u-23 (Poltair Park, 7pm)

Wednesday 18: Bodmin Town v Cardiff City (Priory Park, 7pm).

Thursday 19: Porthleven FC v Cardiff City u-23 (Gala Parc, 7pm).

Friday 20: Torquay United v Cardiff City (Plainmoor, 7pm).

Saturday 21: Liskeard Athletic v Cardiff City u-23 (Lux Park, 2pm).

Wednesday 25: Rotherham United v Cardiff City (New York Stadium, 7.45pm).

Saturday 28: Burton Albion v Cardiff City (Pirelli Stadium, 2pm)

August

Saturday 4 Cardiff City v Real Betis (Cardiff City Stadium, 5.15pm)