Strictly speaking, the title for this piece should read Five decades of Cardiff City v Wigan Athletic matches because we never played them until the eighties, but I’ll try and muddle through with some sort of question for the sixties and seventies!
Following four points from two home games under his watch, Mark Hudson’s next challenge as caretaker boss will be to turn around our feeble form in weekend away games. Callum O’Dowda scored just three minutes into our first one of the season at Reading and we’ve failed to find the net in any of our three subsequent away matches played on a Saturday or Sunday – we were beaten 2-1 at Reading and were 2-0 losers at Bristol City and Millwall and went down 1-0 at Huddersfield – I don’t think we could have any complaints about the outcome in any of them either.
By contrast, we’ve won and drawn in our two midweek away matches. That difference in outcomes can probably be put down to coincidence, but, if the sequences continue, then maybe it would be worth the club looking for something different we do in our preparations for midweek away matches compared to weekend ones?
Anyway, back to the quiz.
60s. What is the connection between a musical duo called the Kensington Squares from over sixty years ago, Sideshow Bob and Wigan Athletic?
70s. Name a player from this decade, who played nearly four hundred Football League games (one hundred and twelve of them for Wigan), who was, seemingly, good at worrying.
80s. This Gelligaer born defender played just two league games for City, but, there can’t have been too many of our players from the season those matches were played in who could boast a 100 per cent winning record – he made his debut in a win over Wigan and his second game saw City beat Doncaster a few months later, can you name him?
90s. Besides Ninian Park, this scorer for City against Wigan during this decade played his football at the following venues, the City Ground, St James’ Park, Ladysmead and the Avenue Stadium, who is he?
00s. Try a ale for example with a Wigan promotion winner. (4,5)
10s. Name four former and one current City player(s) who played for Wigan in the last season in which we beat them.
20s. If Joe Ralls plays for us on Saturday, he stands a chance of becoming unique when it comes to City players in matches against Wigan, why?
Answers:
60. Springfield – The Kensington Squares consisted of Dion O’Brien and Tim Field, who were later joined by Dion’s sister Mary (Dusty) to form The Springfields who had a series of hits in the early sixties before Dusty left to go on to greater things in her solo career. Sideshow Bob is a character in the Simpsons which is based in Springfield and Springfield Park was Wigan’s home ground until 1999.
70s. David Fretwell played over a hundred times for Wigan between 1978 and 1981 after earlier clocking up close to three hundred matches for Bradford City.
80s. City were relegated to Division Four for the first time in their history in 85/86, despite the efforts of Allen Price who was in the teams which beat Wigan 3-1 at Ninian Park thirty seven years ago this month and a 2-0 win at Doncaster just before the season ended.
90s. Besides Ninian Park, Steve Flack played at the City Ground for Cambridge City, St James’ Park for Exeter, Ladysmead for Tiverton Town and the Avenue Stadium for Dorchester United during his career.
00s. Gary Teale.
10s. City did the double over Wigan in 14/15 with a pair of 1-0 wins, playing in one or both of those games for Wigan were Andrew Taylor, Don Cowie, Emyr Huws, Kim Bo Kyung and Sheyi Ojo.
20s. Jimmy Gardner and Earnie with two each are the highest scorers for City in games against Wigan, but both of them scored their goals in the same game. If Joe Ralls plays and scores for us on Saturday, he’ll become the first City player ever to score in two separate games against Wigan.