Neil Harris was a driving force in Cardiff entering the Nathaniel MG Cup

Cardiff City manager Neil Harris has revealed he was the driving force in them entering the Nathaniel MG Cup.

The Bluebirds will enter the competition for the first time as a wildcard entry along with fellow exile Newport County.

It will be the first time Cardiff have played in a senior Welsh competition since the FAW Premier Cup in 2008. The Bluebirds beat Welshpool Town in the Quarter-Final before losing in the semi-final on penalties to Newport County.

Following the first round draw Cardiff have a home tie against Cymru South outfit Taffs Well, who are managed by former City academy goalkeeper Lee Kendall.

The Wellmen are a side they played many times in pre-season whilst under Neil Warnock. The game will take place behind closed doors at the USW Sport Park next Friday.

In his pre-match interview ahead of Cardiff’s trip to Watford on Saturday, Harris spoke of his desire to see the young Bluebirds enter the competition: “Well I was the driving force in making the decision. It’s a welsh national competition, I think we should be in it.”

Both EFL clubs will face no squad recristions meaning they can play their development sides. Harris confirmed that Cardiff will mainly be fielding players from their under 23’s team,

“If the fixtures give us an opportunity to get some minutes into senior players I will use it, but predominantly it will be used for the U23s to play against men.

“The U23 squad have an average age of under 19. We are a very young group. So if they can compete against senior players and ex-professionals, it is really important for them.

“I want to be respectful to the competition and Welsh football as a whole. We discussed it with the FAW, and they were really happy for us to be in the competition and we really appreciate that.”

The Cardiff manager has previously spoken about his ambitions to develop young welsh players for Cardiff City and in recent weeks Wales Under-21 forward Mark Harris has had a run in the game.

Cardiff have also loaned a number of their younger players out to aid their development. Sam Bowen is currently on loan at Barry Town United, meanwhile Danny Williams is with Haverfordwest County, having left the Bluebirds on a temporary loan.

(Featured Image: Mike James)