Cardiff City have been told they have made the right call to back a crop of young players to lead them back to the Championship.
The approval has come from Darren Ferguson, the experienced boss of League One Peterborough United and son of legendary former manager, Sir Alex.
Ferguson junior – who has been in charge of Peterborough for a combined total of 11 years across three spells – has seen a number of big clubs fall into the third tier over recent seasons, including Leeds United, Sheffield Wednesday and Birmingham City.
He reckons the evidence of his team’s 2-1 defeat at Cardiff on the opening day of the season last Saturday is that the Bluebirds are right to try and develop a young squad tasked with the job of carrying them to promotion at the first attempt.
“It's hard to judge on one game, but I think they've made a clear decision that they're going to go a lot younger, and they've got some good young players,” said Ferguson.
“I think it's the correct decision. I think fans want to see young players coming through, and local lads, whatever it is.
“So, I feel they've made the correct decision. They've also brought a manager in that's got a clear way of how he wants to play.
“I think the handling of the expectations is going to be the big thing for them.
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"But sometimes – and it's happened to big clubs before – sometimes, the best thing that can happen is actually to get relegated.
“Of course, it doesn't seem to be at the time, and it sounds crazy what I'm saying.
“But actually, you then start maybe winning some games in a lesser league, and that builds a momentum similar to what Birmingham did last season.”
New Cardiff boss Brian Barry-Murphy was full of praise for his young side after they staged a second-half comeback to earn their victory over Posh.
Victory gave Barry-Murphy a winning start to his reign, having taken over in the summer following the Bluebirds’ relegation from the Championship.
He selected Cardiff’s youngest team this century, only to see Posh take the lead through a Brad Ihionvien penalty in the 33rd minute.
But skipper Rubin Colwill levelled with a fine free-kick shortly after half-time before 18-year-old Ronan Kpakio grabbed the winner.
Barry-Murphy handed first starts to goalkeeper Matt Turner – chosen in front of senior players Jak Alnwick and Ethan Horvath – and midfielder Joel Colwill.
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“We saw a lot of potential out there and the style with which the boys played was evident throughout,” said Barry-Murphy.
"To have some of the academy graduates is really beneficial because they feel the club in a way that's different from what I do, based on where I come from, so it's really powerful," said Barry-Murphy.
"Matt Turner wasn't complicated [as a selection]. I had an idea of certain players before I came to the club. I didn't know a lot about Matt but, since day one pre-season, he's been exceptional.
"His attitude, in terms of what we asked him to do, his commitment and his skill level as a goalkeeper has been outstanding. Just based on what I saw, he was the clear pick.
"Joel, we have a lot of competition in that position, but again, his appetite to do the things we've asked him to do and his relentless nature of application was evident."
Cardiff now prepare to continue their League One campaign on Thursday night when they face their first away match with a trip to Port Vale.
