Experienced goalkeeper Lee Camp can reflect with real satisfaction on his performances in the week-long Cardiff City tour to Cornwall and Devon.
Camp finished the trip with a hard-earned clean sheet against Liskeard AFC.
The Bluebirds were clinical with their finishing in an 11-0 victory at Lux Park, but hosts Liskeard are a high scoring team and they created a fair number of chances. City were the better team, but 11 goals and none for was harsh on the home team.
Camp produced some outstanding work to keep a clean sheet. He was safe, solid and made three full length saves. His double save during the first half when he blocked a fierce drive and jumped up quickly to save again was top quality.
Liskeard striker James Lorenz fired 42 goals last season and the Cornish team finished fifth in their league after scoring 92 as a team.
But Camp showed he still has a lot to offer in the professional ranks with a big performance and a clean sheet.
It looks likely that Camp, Anthony Pilkington and Lee Tomlin will all be moving on from Cardiff during this transfer window, but if there were Football League scouts in the 1,000-plus attendance they would surely have been impressed.
Camp was sharp and consistent, Pilkington netted a hat-trick and Tomlin orchestrated almost every attack with his sublime ability in possession.
Tomlin has the qualities to grace Premier League football, but he doesn’t match the fitness levels needed to fit into Neil Warnock’s 2018-19 top tier squad.
Camp is looking for another club with Neil Etheridge, Alex Smithies and Brian Murphy certainties top be the goalkeepers in Warnock’s 25-man Premier squad, while Pilkington, too, looks surplus to requirements.
It must have been a disappointment for them to be included in the development squad, but their attitude throughout the week has been excellent.
Cardiff led 4-0 at half-time against Liskeard thanks to goals from Tomlin (9 mins), Breyden Shaw (18) and Pilkington, who netted twice in a minute during injury time.
James Waite added number five after 49 minutes before Tomlin was brought down in the penalty area and jumped up to complete his hat-trick from the spot.
Waite (70), substitute Laurence Wootton (65), Healey (70), Shaw (76) and Scott McLean (82) completed the victory.
Cardiff included a midfield player from Liskeard in their squad against his local club. Teenager Max Gilbert had a spell on trial with the Bluebirds last season and Warnock’s scouting team have been watching his progress.
Gilbert played and scored for Bodmin Town against Cardiff during this week and he went on as a second half substitute for the under-23 team.
The young Bluebirds, comprising mainly under-23 players, won all four of their matches during the week-long tour to Devon and Cornwall, scoring 27 goals and conceding three.
Liskeard AFC: Josh Gilbert, Rob Cleveland, Aaron Varese, Jack Podmore (capt), Dylan Peel, Adm King, Jarrad Woods, James Lorenz, Tom Cleveland, Adam Gregory, Ben Collins. Subs: Sam Rogers, Adrian Walton, Lewis Webber, Alfie Daw, Chris Walker, Shaun Jones.
Cardiff City: Lee Camp, Ryan Pryce, Cameron Coxe, Paul McKay, Ciaron Brown, Jack Bodenham, Anthony Pilkington, James Waite, Rhys Healey, Lee Tomlin, Breyden Shaw. Subs used: Scott McLean, Jamie Veale, Max Gilbert, Jacob Evans, Laurence Wootton. Not used: Matthew Hall (gk).
Referee: Oliver Willcox.