Have Cardiff City ever played a friendly as early as July 7th? They have now. Pictures from Merthyr can be found here.
The way last season, which unexpectedly promised so much before City meekly gave up on it left many fans wanting a long break but back we were.
A summer of low activity - plenty of talk but little action - produced predictable outcomes. With stadiums to build, the signings have, so far, been four free transfers and, in truth, very underwhelming. There's no reason to believe any further new faces will be any different. However those who arrived, on paper, certainly appear to add some balance and strength to our comparatlvely small ill-equipped squad and we can only hope times proves that.
To open the season, the squad was split in two with half (and possibly a weaker unit overall) sent to Carmarthen where they lost 2-0 and the remainder went to Merthyr. With Penydarren Park being a quick trip up the A470, a ground with a chip shop in it, an inviting bar and a relaxed policy where half the crowd of 2,000+ were watching the game with pints and cans, it was no context which game to choose.
Pic by Lee Parsons
It's a game that sets up Merthyr financially for the season and they exploit it to the max. From the Mayor of Merthyr personally standing outside the turnstiles with his chain of office collecting for charidee, a highly-priced £8 to get in, the bar buzzing and outdoor bar areas set up selling cold beers, lager and 'Bow of course to take into the game. They were even holding a wedding reception in their function room.
I don't think the booze should have gone in the ground but everybody did and nobody stopped you. The crowd was very healthy - I'm no expert on Penydarren Park but it looked well over 2,000 with 80% or more of the Bluebird faith.
It felt surreal and became more so when a regular City home and away steward told me he travelled to the game on the team bus and Dave Jones told the turnstile operators that he was part of the official party so was let in for nothing. Then I spoke to Mike Morris at Carmarthen and Dave Jones was in front of him! Terry Burton was in charge at Merthyr. The same steward then said he thought our new, hopefully 2nd or 3rd choice keeper Oakes, was Cardiff City's best signing for years but he topped that by asking after my brother who he hadn't seen for years. "You have", I said, "you've just been talking to him for the last 5 minutes".
However it got even more surreal than that when both teams marched out as if they were playing a Champions League fixture! With Rocky music playing, they both lined up with the officials in front of the grandstand until the music finished and then all shook hands in procession. Just when I thought it couldn't get crazier, Kevin McNaughton run towards us with jet black hair! I wonder if his hair dye is sponsored? If not, I want to do it!!
And then the football, both halves were a mix of first-teamers and youth, presumably a couple of triallsts. The tannoy announcer was unable to speak English, Welsh or any comprehensible language making it a challenge to know half our side. The first team squad members played both halves and were David Forde in goals (cheered towards us with an ironic chant of "Cardiff, Cardiff's Only 1", defence of McNaughton, Johnson, Purse and a decent-looking kid left-back, midfield with Paul Parry and McPhail and Warren Feeney and Michael Chopra up front.
The pitch was poor, sloped, bumpy, uneven, poorly cut and long-grassed in places, it wouldn't have helped but City started powerfully with Merthyr facing a succession of corners, scrambling away crosses and desperately throwing themselves into challenges. Cardiff should have had an early penalty when Chops appeared to be bundled over but the ball then ran to McNaughton who was certainly taken down but with a slow ref and stocky woman lino, both were behind play. Early blitz over and there was very little to report.
The pattern of play became depressingly familiar, City has most of the possession and the game tended to be condensed in the Merthyr half but City were slow and lacking great ability and invention around the box. Chops wriggled free for a couple of efforts but they flew straight at Merthyr's keeper and it was the Martyrs who came closest after that with Forde splendidly tipping over one effort whilst another was screwed wide. Cardiff looked distinctly average but livened up in the final 5 with Chops, McPhail and Parry all getting shots away but to little avail.
H/T: Merthyr 0 City 0
Cardiff returned with, mostly, the same first team squad players - Byrne for Feeney being the only change - but all the youth and trial players were swapped. The most notable additions were, for the wrong reasons, an unfit looking left back playing no 14 who struggled throughout (who was it?) but, for the right reasons, Aaron Ramsey who woke up midfield with pace, passing and running at players. What a good player he looks.
With Ramsey and McPhail pulling the strings and Byrne offering more than another very average show from Feeney, City looked livelier and upped the tempo. Better movement meant chances and shots but none hit the target and flew well wide until a smart move saw McPhail feed Byrne who flicked on for CHOPS to drive an angled shot low under the keeper. 1-0. A few minutes later, a crisper move and even better CHOPRA finish with a placed shot across the keeper to tuck perfectly inside his far post. Chopra probably should have bagged a hat-trick when set up in front of goal by Paul Parry but delayed his shot controlling the ball and the chance was gone. Shortly after, he was removed early and had his right left strapped up but I am sure it was precaution as he and several players signed autographs and posed for photos.
Back on the pitch, a strange moment as Darren Purse sent the ball back to Forde off the top of his thigh. Once again, ref and lino were well behind play, the ref declared it a back-passed but when faced with the wrath of Purse and Forde combined, he quickly decided he had made a mistake. He placed the ball near the penalty spot - after the "back pass" was well outside the box and nowhere near centre of goal and asked a Merthyr player to pass it to Forde. I wonder if he was tempted to smash it home. A little later, Purse was arguably lucky to get away with handball in the box but, yep, the ref was behind play again and the woman lino wouldn't know.
More subs with both sides and the game lost its flow and wound down and got chilly. Whilst Cardiff basked in unbroken sunshine at last, the Merthyr eco-climate produced 2nd half dark clod overhead and a temperature drop affecting those of us who foolishly set out in shorts and/or t-shirts. A would-be streaker ran on in his boxer shorts but bottled unveiling himself but returned minutes later and then dropped his shorts around his knees as if he had cacked his pants. He shook hands with Darren Purse before grabbing a Merthyr player and trying to tug his shorts down. With no stewards or police, he then returned to the crowd.
The football was far from exhilarating - I'm always there even though I question why I bother showing up for meaningless games played exactly that way - but it was good just to see other City fans and catch up.
The squad now fly away to a week's pre-season camp in Portugal and two friendlies against a Portuguese Select X1 (Tuesday) and Vitoria de Setubal in Lisbon (Saturday) before several games back in the UK before it finally matters again on August 11th. Blimey, that's still 5 weeks away!
External Report
South Wales Echo