..where they fully deserve to be on merit and for their standard and quality of football, having to show their character again to fightback from a controversial goal to draw with leaders West Brom in a fast and furious encounter at a cold, soaking but passionate and happy Ninian Park.
After passing a test of character in arctic Milton Keynes against Wimbledon last weekend (our scrappy win looks better when West Ham only drew there tonight), manager Lennie Lawrence labelled this clash a test of quality. He must be as delighted, as every City fan was, by what he saw. City’s effort, commitment and football played although not always perfect, was fantastic and light years ahead of anything we’ve seen for a couple of decades before this season. West Brom were very good indeed, justifying their table topping position, but City more than matched them and probably shaded things by final whistle.
Uncle Lennie fielded the same side that scrapped their way to victory at Wimbledon with John Robinson having recovered sufficiently from flu and a thigh strain to take his place. So City fielded the usual 4-4-2 with Alexander, Croft-Gabbidon-Vidmar(Capt)-Barker, Robinson-Langley-Bonner-Gray, Gordon-Earnshaw.
West Brom brought an excellent 2,000 for the relatively short journey where it was possible for them to finish work in the Midlands at 5pm and be inside Ninian Park for kick-off. It’s been a long time seen we’ve seen that many here for a league game though and it helped contribute to an excellent atmosphere. Their side may be top in the news for all the wrong reasons with striker Lee Hughes charged earlier in the day for various offences after being involved in a weekend motoring accident that killed a passenger in another car, injured others and saw him flee the scene and disappear for a day and a half.
Football chants can be sick but will always exist. City fans, particularly in the first half, singing “Where’s your murderer?”, “Ten years, he’s gonna get ten years” and, when a Baggies player was injured, adapting the “Let him die” cry to “Let him die like Hughsie did” won’t win Barclaycard’s £10,000 prize announced earlier in the day for the best new chant but they silenced the visitors and helped intimidation levels.
West Brom’s tactics were 3-5-2, quite appropriate really as it was a system often employed when Frank Burrows was City’s manager. The flat capped legend was in the dugout as assistant to Gray Megson and a number of City personnel greeted him before and after the game. Frankie must have been impressed by how the club how turned around compared to the penny-pinching times he spent at the club.
The Baggies three at the back all seeming to surround Earnie whenever he was within 10 yards of the ball as opposing teams now clearly adapt their tactics to try and contain him.
They started with the experienced Russell Hoult in goals, a defensive three of Sean Gregan- Gaardsoe-Gilchrist, the midfield five including wing backs were the comedic names Swiss player Bernt Haas-James O’Connor (Kav’s mate from Stoke)-the Welsh duo of Jason Koumas and Andy Johnson who we hoped to be as ineffective as they were at Millennium Stadium for Wales last week and Robinson. Strikers were Scott Dobie who had a purple patch at the club sometime ago but not much else since and Rob Hulse, the striker who declined to even speak with Sam and Lennie and his former club (Crewe) and agent had accepted a summer offer from City. On the night, he gave the impression that we hadn’t missed anything – Danny Gabbidon, showing his former club what they let go, had him under more control than the average resident of Guantanamo Bay.
Conditions were as cold, as wet and as windy as Milton Keynes last weekend but all similarities ended there as City opened at 100mph, taking the game to the Baggies, creating more chances and entertainment in the opening 10 minutes alone than the entire 90 against Wimbledon.
West Brom survived two major scares in the opening 90 seconds as great link up play between Barker, Robinson and then Gray saw the latter beat his marker and curl a far post cross that Richard Langley hit into the ground but it forced Hoult into an acrobatic save as it bounced over him and was dropping under his bar. From the following short corner, John Robinson found Gavin Gordon whose 8 yard header flew inches wide although you want him to hit the target from there.
On 6 minutes, Earnie managed a temporary escape of his shackles to meet a low cross
from a Gavin Gordon touchline run but scooped his shot straight at Hoult from a ball slightly behind him when he had time to control and turn. And before the 10 minute had passed, Hoult made his third save to hold a John Robinson right angled drive that deflected to him.
Until 25 minutes had passed, City’s display was outstanding in greasy conditions. Richard Langley and Julian Gray stood out with their quick feet adding a zip into moves but the link up play and movement of the whole side was exemplary, West Brom’s game at this point was simply trying to contain us and ride the storm. They were making mistakes and probably overplaying in the wrong places such as inside their own half but it was this style that was also making in-roads and hurting the Baggies.
It was high octane stuff, highly exciting to watch and had the whole crowd approving in support. Referee Curzon – I’ve never seen a ref have a game of two halves before but this one did - helped the flow too by making allowances for the conditions, something John Robinson exploited to the max by sliding into tackles all over the park never allowing the visitors to settle.
Cardiff continued to create and entertain in equal measures, Gray sending over a few crosses, Gordon making an impression at the far post but Hoult and his defence scrambled the ball away although they were relieved to see a Robbo 25 yard drive fly across the face of goal and narrowly wide.
West Brom aren’t top without reason however and in the final 20 minutes of the period, they hit back spreading the ball wide, Koumas starting to show his class in the centre and finally applying their own pressure.
Dobie was blocked by Vidmar, the Aussie’s distribution letting him down for a rare change tonight, and the resulting corner saw Alexander save really well low down from a far post cross although it was penalized for pushing. One lightning move saw Hoult throw to the touchline, one touch and Dobie was clear again but shot narrowly wide. Dobie tested Alexander, Koumas made him save too after a trademark winding run, O’Connor shot wide and then produced one of the funniest moments of the half as he twisted and spun on the edge of the area to create a clear opening for himself but completely missed the ball as he swung to shoot and fell to the floor in a heap making some double-up in laughter.
Problems came for West Brom as Alexander took a low singing cross behind his defence
under pressure with three Baggies closing in on him, Dobie collided with him first and then crashed into the post being left injured in the back of the net and stretchered away to be replaced by Sakiri. Sakiri was booed on but deserved more respect, he was the Macedonian who scored direct from a corner against Seaman and England – what a guy!
Daniele Dichio was a striker option on the bench but he was injured at the weekend so Megson did not want to risk him early.
Having rode that storm but having to be wary as West Brom broke faster and more impressively than just about all teams I’ve seen this season, a direct contrast to our “let’s have at least 5 passes first” style, Cardiff hit back and finished the half on top with Gavin Gordon smacking a skidding piledriver from 35 yards after making space that Hoult did well to hold and then harmlessly knocking the ball well over the bar when it dropped to him from 6 yards in front of goal from another Gray cross. Gordon had a strange first half where he seemed to feature in many of City’s prominent moments but was quite anonymous otherwise with no real appetite to run the channels or into space when our midfielders had possession.
Half-Time: CITY 0 WBA 0
City and ref Curzon made the worst possible start to the second half that changed the entire course of the match. If there was criticism of City, apart from getting Earnie and Gordon more involved, it was that they were guilty of over-playing in the wrong areas, Richard Langley was one of the key culprits.
Receiving the ball wide right outside his own area, his thinking should have been to get it upfield but he wanted to play and took two or three touches. As he did, he was shoulder-charged off the ball and then knocked down in a second clash, either of both were fouls but ref Curzon let it go. The ball was slipped inside, KOUMAS shot from 20 yards and the ball took a wicked deflection over the helpless Alexander.
City players and fans went beserk, Tony Vidmar leading the protests but the ref had made his decision and wasn’t going to change now although I strongly suspect he immediately realised his error. Fans around me immediately said “I bet we get a penalty back to even it up”, how right they were proved. I just hope it was a lesson learned quickly for City and Langley though.
Cardiff were shocked, the atmosphere went quieter and The Baggies were boing, boing, boinging and noisy. Quite funny too when the crowd of 17,600 crowd with announced (who else thought it was considerably more than that?), they chanted, “you’ve only come because it’s us”. Not like Black Country folk to have a sense of humour, is it?
Cardiff were winning free-kicks and corners, Langley hitting one free-kick way over, Vidmar nodding wide but also showing some signs of desperation with some horrible long and high balls to Earnie. They had to change and, on the hour, the Magic Man was back. Peter Thorne appeared for the first time since October 4 and all seemed well with the world. Gavin Gordon gave his best but City needed better and Thorney provided it.
On 64 minutes, came a penalty out of the blue. Barker to Gray, an instant touch inside to Langley who got hit to the floor but passed into the box where Mark Bonner was sent to his ass but Bernt Haas. The referee gave it instantly, probably relieved with his “get out of jail” card.
He was losing control of the game and annoyed everyone as he spent the next minute or two ensuring no players encroached the area, Earnie having to stop his run up twice and kept waiting for a ridiculous amount of time. When EARNIE was finally allowed, it was ruthless, a short run up and the ball smacked high to Hoult’s right. He went the right way but had no chance. Earnie’s 20th of the season leaving him one short of the magic 100 in total for City. Far from getting a Flake with his 99, he got a yellow card instead as the linesman and ref took exception to his standard somersault in front of the Bob Bank. A pathetic decision.
Curzon was now happy to flash his yellow card around, Gregan and Haas quickly booked for challenges no worse than many he let pass but Robinson was not even spoken to for an horrendous hospital-threatening two footed challenge on Gary Croft and then unbelievably rolling around holding his head when Crofty rightly showed his anger and annoyance.
Football-wise, there was only now one likely winner – City. Roared on by the crowd, it was absolute mayhem, a fantastic atmosphere. Julian Gray was a foot wide with an edge of area free-kick, Langley was just over with a 25 yard hit and Peter Thorne’s direct running, holding of the ball and presence was causing the Baggies defence problems and finally bringing Earnie into the game too.
Closest though was Richard Langley’s fantastic 81st minute edge of area free-kick which had Hoult and tow defenders beaten emphatically but crashed off the underside of the bar, Gabbidon firing over trying to acrobatically turn it back as it came away. So so close. Willie Boland on as a late sub for Robbo carrying his thigh knock again and Earnie made Hoult save late too and Peter Thorne was twice denied by last gasp interventions.
For all the pressure, it was Neil Alexander heroics that also saved City from what would have been undeserved defeat. Twice ref Curzon awarded dubious free kicks in firing range that only he saw fit, not even West Brom appealed for them.
Both times Koumas took them. The first bent around the wall and was heading right inside the bottom corner but Alexander got down superbly, grabbing at the second attempt as Dichio, just on, waited to pounce. The second was a miraculous save, Koumas’s strike twice changing direction with deflection but Scotland’s No 1 somehow changing the flight of his dive to stretch and push it over the bar when it looked a lost cause. Astonishing reactions and reflexes.
City had a standing, rapturous ovation and rightly so. There won’t be many better games this season than the one we just saw and although City have still strangely beaten no side in the Top 11, there’s no doubt we fully merit 6th place. Great match, good result and excellent performances from every player wearing blue, a team and club to be truly proud about.
Next game Ipswich at home on Saturday, surely with Peter Thorne starting, and the anticipation has started already. Anyone there tonight will want to be back. Earnshaw's 65th minute leveller earned the Bluebirds a point after Jason Koumas' deflected shot had fired the Baggies into the lead after 49 minutes. The City striker's 20th strike of the season came after Bernt Haas upended Mark Bonner in the box to send the Ninian Park crowd delirious. But it was the performance which had manager Lennie Lawrence smiling at the end of 90 minutes. "They're one of the favourites to win the league and rightly so," said Lawrence. "So from our point of view it gives us great heart because I thought we were a bit better than them for parts of the game. "And even more so when you look at the players unavailable to us. "And I think we could have won it if we had that little bit of luck at the end." Richard Langley's free-kick seven minutes from time almost handed Cardiff their first win against a top-six side, but his curling effort smashed against Russell Hoult's woodwork. But West Brom also had their chances to seal all three points following Koumas' opener. Cardiff keeper Neil Alexander had to be in top form to deny Koumas a second while his last gasp save at the feet of Danny Dichio kept the Bluebirds in the contest. But Baggies boss Gary Megson was left disappointed after seeing his side throw away their one-goal lead. "Before the game I would have been pleased to get a point because I see Cardiff as a top-six side and it's always a hard place to come," said Megson. "But having gone one up I'm disappointed with the lads to have not won from that position."
Report from FootyMad.Robert Earnshaw's penalty spot equaliser gave Cardiff a share of the spoils against the first division leaders and pushed the Bluebirds into the top six.