It’s typical of how things are at Cardiff City these days that a goal in added time prevented them from giving the whole club a huge lift with a “giant killing” win in the Third Round of the FA Cup this afternoon, but, truthfully, it would have been something of a case of daylight robbery if we’d hung on to beat Leeds.
Still, it’s pleasing that, in a cup weekend that has had some memorable televised live games, we were involved in what must have been a good watch for any neutrals and, despite a team selection which suggested otherwise, this was also a tie at which the usual criticisms about Cardiff City’s commitment to cup competitions could not be directed.
It’s always galling not to win when you’ve been 2-0 up, but, let’s face it, having watched our previous three games, I was expecting it would take us until about March for us to score a couple more goals. Instead, we got them in just over thirty minutes and we did so by showing intelligent movement and, for the second goal at least, an aptitude for a killer pass.
Nevertheless, a goal attempts figure of 26-5 in favour of the Premier League side shows that those two good goals apart, there was still not a great deal on offer from City in terms of an end product although all of the individual performances from our front four attacking players offered hope for the months ahead.
It should be mentioned as well that I wouldn’t have thought any more than two or three of the starting eleven Mark Hudson picked would be in what he regards as his strongest team – I’d say much the same applied to Jesse Marsch and his Leeds selection.
City started with Jak Alnwick in goal, a back four of Tom Sang, Curtis Nelson who was captaining the team, Jack Simpson and Joel Bagan with Andy Rinomhota and Romaine Sawyers sitting in front of them. The attacking four were Jaden Philogene and Mark Harris out wide and Sheyi Ojo playing behind lone striker Isaak Davies, who was making the first start of his injury ravaged season.
Quite how much the illness which had hit the City camp during last week affected team selection is not clear, but there were a fair sprinkling of first team regulars on the bench, so my guess is that it was the side Hudson wanted to pick, or very close to it anyway.
The reaction to the selection from supporters on and off line was overwhelmingly negative from what I heard and read and I’ll admit that I was expecting nothing more than a pretty limp defeat myself.
Indeed, that’s what we looked set for during the first twenty minutes or so. It was hardly as if Leeds were battering us, but they were sharper and far better than us in possession.
There was one chink of light though, right from the start of the game, the Leeds centrebacks looked very Ill at ease in the face of Davies’ combination of pace and sheer nuisance value. This continued throughout the first half and although he, understandably, tired in the second half, I’d rate his performance for that first forty five minutes as good as we’ve seen from a City forward this season in terms of never giving an opposition defence a moment’s peace.
It was runs from behind the striker in a manner that I can barely remember seeing this season though which unlocked the Leeds defence for the two goals.
Sang picked out Harris’ run in behind the unhappy Pascal Struijk with the first and although Joel Robles was out quickly to block the shot, Harris was able to tee up Davies whose shot was blocked again into the path of Philogene who calmly side footed in from eight yards.
Sang’s pass was a good one, but Rinomhota’s clipped ball over Diego Llorente seven minutes later was a better one and Ojo, having made a clever run in behind the defender, gave it the finish it deserved with a great first touch and then hooking the ball in from around the penalty spit.
So, the team that finds it so hard to score at home had got two quality goals with barely more than half an hour played and were well in charge for the fifteen minues that remained of the opening half.
Leeds were booed off by the six and a half thousand visiting fans at half time and a repeat of the famous 2002 Third Round win, along with a continuance of our domination of this fixture since then, looked on the cards.
There was little in the opening fifteen minutes of the second half to suggest a Leeds fight back either – Davies had run his race by now and the threat to the Leeds goal was negligible for the whole of the second period, but City were still looking comfortable at the back.
The whole game turned on the introduction of three Leeds subs including our loan player from last season, Cody Drameh. From the moment they were introduced, Leeds’ intensity levels increased dramatically and the pace they were playing at was ratcheted up. City had put an awful lot into their first half and were Ill equipped physically to cope with this increased energy from the visitors.
The Leeds fans sensed a way back into the game and almost straight away, Struijk headed inches wide from a corner when he really should have scored.
Having almost been caught out once from a set piece, it was disappointing that within two or three minutes, the visitors were able to work a short corner and another of the subs, Rodrigo, headed in Sam Greenwood’s cross from close range.
Faced with twenty five minutes plus added time to hang on to their lead (they were never going to increase it now), City could only offer stern defence with Rinomhota, voted man of the match by Ally McCoist as part of ITV’s coverage, doing sterling work on that score.
However, Leeds were now frequently getting in down the flanks where both City full backs had been booked quite early on and the goal attempts and misses were racking up. When Leeds cut through City’s right flank again, Junior Firpo’s shot from the cut back was palmed aside by Bagan for a clear penalty which earned the youngster a straight red card. However, Rodrigo’s spot kick, although well struck, was too close to Alnwick who dived to his left to turn the ball away.
For a short while, it felt like this fine save would be the fillip to speed City to victory, but the reality of their situation soon became clear as sub Ollie Tanner was left alone upfield in what became a very deep lying 5-3-1 formation when first teamers Ryan Wintle, Joe Ralls, Brendan O’Dowda and Perry Ng were introduced for attackers and midfielders.
Amid great tension, Leeds brought on two teenage striking substitutes, Mateo Joseph and Sonny Perkins, who both missed excellent chances to equalise.
Now, I know the fans of nearly every side in the world say “typical (insert name of their club)” when things like late equalisers are scored against them, but I’ll always maintain that Cardiff City supporters have more reason than most to think that way.
So, although the Leeds goal attempts were piling up without testing Alnwick too much and we were now past the ninety minute mark, I had no confidence that we were going to hang on. So it was, that Perkins flicked in the leveller from close in to ensure that the teams will meet again at Elland Road in ten days or so to see who has the dubious pleasure of travelling to Accrington Stanley or Boreham Wood in Round Four.
I wouldn’t completely dismiss City’s chances in the replay on this evidence, but, to return to a recent theme, it would be typical us to go to Leeds and win and then get beaten at Boreham Wood!
Other matches this weekend saw City’s Under 18’s beaten 3-2 at QPR with Kyle Kenniford (pen) and Cody Twose the scorers, while Ton Pentre were winners by the same score over Cardiff Airport in the Premier Division of the Highadmit South Wales Alliance and Division One leaders Treherbert Boys and Girls Club went down 2-1 at Sully.
Off the field, there was a pre game meeting where club Chairman Mehmet Dalman gave details of the current position regarding the embargoes the club finds themselves subject to and the ongoing sage that is the Emiliano Sala dispute regarding which club he belonged to at the time of his tragic death – it will be the fourth anniversary of his death later this month. Details of the main points to emerge from the meeting can be read here.
Anyway, on to happier times, a further reminder that my book on our 1975/76 promotion is on sale now in paperback form or as an e book – it’s called Tony Evans Walks on Water and can be bought from Amazon at