A Cardiff weekender. Starting in Ohio

Speaking to the Echo

John has contributed to this website for the best part of a decade with statistics we never knew existed. Most recently he discovered that three of the four 6 - 0 or worse away defeats sinced the war actually took place at Deepdale.

John has seen City away, seen Wales play at the Millennium Stadium and even seen Cardiff in an FA Cup final. Before Saturday though he'd never seen them play at Ninian Park.

The reason he's not a regular visitor is because he is a born and bred American who lives in Middletown, Ohio. A combination of wanting to support the underdog, 1927, the New York Times and a relative from Abergavenny brought John to follow the Bluebirds for the past 40 years.

Outside Ninian Park

His interest was waining in the late 90's as news about the club was harder to discover and then he found this website on the internet. A new window was opened on the club he followed via the American press by having access to stats, images, reports like he'd never seen before.

Since then he's been a massive contributor to the Email list on this website and a frequest supplier of statistics to my website stories.

So as the final weekend at Ninian Park loomed John decided he just had to come and see a game. Fortunately we were able to source a spare ticket for the game and also a ticket for the player of the year dinner to make it a very special weekend.

John flew from on the red-eye from Philadelphia on Thursday night and eventually arrived in Cardiff on Friday evening. I collected him from the station and took him to Ninian Park. We were able to see the old and the new with Cardiff's two stadiums side by side.

Finally. I've arrived

As his host for the weekend I went for the tourist stuff. We dined on fish and chips, drank some Brains SA and retired for the night watching the Championship preview on Sky Sports.

A busy Saturday started with collection of the trophy for the awards night from the engraver. Then a Clarks pie. Despite a lengthy tutorial from myself on how to eat one John managed to get most of the filling in the bag as he ate the pastry.

Then a nice touch from Terry Phillips and the Echo. John was interviewed outside Ninian Park and you can see the video, and read the story that came with a nice big headline in Monday's Echo.

Video interview with the Echo

Echo newspaper story

Then an obligatory pint pre match and John finally got to take his seat at Ninian Park.

American's Abroad

Unfortunately the team let him down big style and he missed out on the joy of seeing City win but it was the ground he came to see. He can watch Cardiff City anytime, but it was his only chance to see a game at Ninian Park.

Post match a quick change and off to the awards. John represented this website as it awarded fellow American Eddie Johnson with the Magic Moment award. Eddie was amazed an American was presenting him with his prize.

A lazy Sunday morning saw John pack and leave Cardiff on the 1.25 train and head back to Gatwick for the monday morning hop back to Philadelphia.

A whistle stop tour that I hope sincerely that he will always remember.