City go 2nd after Valliant Victory over Vale

Kav misses pen www.bbc.co.uk

Many City fans were still taking their seats when Andy Legg produced a trademark long throw into the box where the grateful Peter Thorne had a clear header to make it 1 - 0 to Cardiff on 4 mins. Wearing the new home kit for the first time competitively City looked good and were playing with a style to match. 9 minutes gone and Leo "Ronaldo" FW twisted and turned in the box and fired a beauty off the outside of his right boot into the top corner of the Port Vale net. City fans were delirious and it could have been even better. 14 mins gone and Rhys Weston was felled in the box, Kav stepped up but lazily hit his penalty at a nice height for Vale keeper Goodlad to dive to his right and parry away.

City at 3 - 0 would have been on a rampage, as it was the game slowed and while never looking in any real danger City could have been accused of overplaying, the chances that should have been created were not there.

Another major incident was the sending off of Sam Collins for a second yellow card. City fans were still waving cheerio to the Vale player when Kav handled in his own box and Marc Bridge-Wilkinson showed Kav exactly how to take a penalty and sent Alexander the wrong way.

There was a nervousness amongst players and fans and the fear that Vale could still take something from the game, even with 10 men. Andy Legg settled the nerves with a 20 yard volley which flew into the bottom corner of the net on 68 mins.

Vale huffed and puffed and found small pockets of space but City were man for man a class above. Gabbidon and Barker were solid in defence. Rhys Weston and Gary Croft found plenty of space to go forward. Croft in particular was excellent. He was awarded man of the match and deservedly so. Thorne and Leo worked hard, Campbell had little to feed on and when he made way for Earnie in the second half young Robert had even less to do.

The efficient Whalley made way for Maxwell who tried to take the game by the scruff of the neck, he showed more aggression that Kav had done. It was not Kav's night tonight, a missed pen and conceeding one, he will have better days.

James Collins, Des Hamilton and Martyn Margetson were the unused subs.

City then are 2 wins fron 2 games. 6 points and second in the table on goal difference from Swindon. City are at home on Saturday to Northampton, with the quality in City's team its very hard to see that Northampton could cause an upset. City may not fire all guns blazing but they do more than enough to show they are class.

The following game is set to be a cracker. Swindon at the County Ground.