despite making several starting changes, after a poor, disjointed opening period to overpower Tranmere Rovers in an entertaining, incident packed game and progress into the 2nd round of the FA Cup for the 8th successive season (and for 7 of those, City have also gone onto make the 3rd round too!).
The competition is clearly not City's priority this season. It's a distraction, in a season where only promotion to Division One counts. This replay was held just 51 hours after Sunday's scrappy win against Chesterfield and only 72 hours before a Friday night clash at QPR so changes were only to be expected.
Lennie rested 6 - Alexander, Croft, Maxwell, Legg and the striking duo of Thorne and Earnie - but the replacements of Margetson, James Collins, Disco Des, Jason Bowen, Leo Fortune-West and Andy Campbell are hardly lightweights. Apart from youngster Collins, most would be regulars at just about every other side in this division. The formation was 4-3-1-2 with Bowen given freedom to drift behind the front two, Prior and Collins as the central pairing and Barker moved to left wing back.
Tranmere, after a good start have hovered around mid-table all season, came into this game confidently having been unbeaten for 6 games (since the 4-0 late October hiding at Ninian Park in a live Sky game), wanting revenge for that result and wanting to knock the Bluebirds out of this competition for the 2nd successive season. Their away record is poor - only 2 wins and a draw in 10 away league starts this season but they won 3-1 at Wycombe last weekend.
Their ex-Jack (every team does have one, don't they?) Jason Price has long-term injury but so got another on loan in centre-half Christian Edwards who received a Ninian welcome. More notably, they also had ex-City star and Splott boy, Simon Howarth, leading their front line with Stuart Barlow, always a handful.
The crowd was under 7,000 but expected for a number of reasons. The F.A. Cup, particularly in its early stages, has lost some of its glamour with fans. It costs enough to watch league football over the season so paying extra (£17 in my case for the Grandstand and that's the early bird price!) for games like these is not easy, especially at this time of year.
The marketing of this game by the club was, at best, poor. If you had a Cardiff City vs Chesterfield programme on Sunday (the club's biggest advertising/marketing outlet), they barely mentioned the game and nothing about ticket prices/arrangements for it.
Fans also knew key players would be rested but we were expected to pay the same and upto £4 extra if we just turned up on the night. Sam is great but the commercialism of the club remains poor and out of touch. Will common-sense ever be applied?
Last, but certainly not least, we're probably fed up of Tranmere too. This was City's 6th league and FA Cup game against them in just over 12 months and the 3rd time in 5 weeks, two of those clashes at Ninian Park.
Cardiff desperately wanted to make a good start and settle quickly after the poor display, defence especially, last Sunday but they seemed to be suffering from the same lethargy and errors at first and were very lucky not to be behind and chasing the game. The personnel and formation changes may have been a factor but City were very sluggish with only Jason Bowen looking alert early on.
Martyn Margetson was easily the busiest of the two goalkeepers having to make a reaction stop from a James Collins misdirected header in the 6 yard box that could easily have been an own goal then making a stunning save to fly across goal and beat away a great 25 yard Gary Jones drive that looked destined to fly inside his far post. He also showed his bravery, after Prior was caught out, to dive at Jones' feet and got winded needing a couple of minutes treatment for his trouble.
It is natural to compare the keepers, Margetson looks the steadier at present, but Alexander will be back for QPR. Margetson is the better shot stopper, has a fantastic kick (his goal kicks could fly 60-70 yards) and has excellent distribution too, a quality which Alexander lacks. Neil Alexander needs to rediscover domination of his area, something he was very good at last season.
City were very poor in the opening phase. The back four didn't seem to know each other, Prior and Collins struggling to contain Howarth and Barlow, Chris Barker was caught out of position constantly and did not support attack once on the left. Tranmere got behind them several times but we got away with it, more by luck than skill. In attack, Andy Campbell was falling everywhere and Leo was not getting stuck in as he can, barely making any challenges for the ball at times.
When City got their passing game together, they were far too elaborate and nobody would shoot. It caused a fair amount of frustration. The bright spot was Jason Bowen, a livewire that Tranmere struggled to contain. He produced several instances of magic, none better than when he squeezed past three defenders, got clear on goal from an angle but chipped a fraction over the bar. If it went in, it would have been one of the goals of the season. The crowd frequently applauded him.
City's only other notable efforts were two Kav free-kicks, one flew narrowly wide, the other, after he teed himself up with a couple of flicks, was driven straight at Tranmere's keeper, Achterburg.
The other talking point, for fans on the Grandstand side anyway, was the non-stop whinging and moaning of Tranmere boss Ray Mathias. From 1st kick to last in the half, he never stopped. Contested every decision, appealed for non-existent penalties, berated the ref when he went past, argued with the linesman on his side throughout, was regularly outside of his 'technical area' and spoken to on at least a dozen occasions by the 4th official. It was ironic that two or three of his players were booked for dissent, nobody deserved that more than Mathias himself. It was hard to see, what, if any grievance he had.
Just as it looked as if City had survived a poor first half showing, disaster struck with a well taken goal on the break on 41 minutes. Out of nothing, Tranmere found space as Haworth strode from halfway and found Barlow ahead with a couple of defenders around him but he showed great vision to switch the ball right to MICKY MELLON in space who placed the ball inside Margetson's near post from 12 yards with perfection. The 2 coachloads of Tranmere fans partied.
The other 7,000 of us tried to console ourselves by telling each other that the FA Cup wasn't that important and it didn't matter if we lost really but we knew we were talking absolute rubbish. When does any fan want to see his team lose?
Half-time: CITY 0 TRANMERE 1
There was a small shock for the 2nd half as Andy Legg replaced Willie Boland, tactical rather than injury reasons I hope.
The opening 15 minutes was quiet and seemed to be going through the motions, Tranmere looked comfortable although Leo stirred the atmosphere with a stunning 30 yard blaster on his left foot which flew narrowly over the bar. Tranmere were affected on 55 minutes when Simon Haworth departed with a back injury. The sight of substitute Hume, a short nippy forward like Barlow, lining up against Prior and Collins, two slower centre halves was a little worrying.
In truth however, apart from Margetson nearly being surprised by one bouncing ball and one shot wide, I can't recall a single thing Tranmere produced going forward in the entire second half.
Just as you couldn't see where a goal was coming from, bang, there it was and in Route One style too. Martyn Margetson banged the ball upfield, Leo - finally showing some physical presence - flicked on, ANDY CAMPBELL knocked ahead and making space on the left side of the area, spun and hit a superb rising shot across goal from 15 yards that flew inside Achterburg's far post. The build up was basic, the finish was exemplary.
It gave City the lift they needed, Tranmere were battered for the final half hour. There was only one winner now even though Spencer Prior had to depart moments later indicating a back injury of sorts with Gary Croft taking his place and City reshuffling the pack using a 4-3-3 variation.
Tranmere were on the ropes and City pushed on, used the wings intelligently at last and sent a number of balls across goal that seemed to miss everyone but ones which Earnie and Thorne would have thrived on.
On 68 minutes, it was 2-1. A corner came over, was half cleared and just inside the area, JAMES COLLINS turned and hit a low shot that went through the legs of the slightly unsighted Achterburg and into the back of the net. The ultra-red headed Collins enjoyed the moment and celebrated wildly firstly in front of the Grandstand and then running back to halfway doing a "Biggles" using his upturned hands to make a pilot's glasses, just like we did in school. Bless!
Achterburg's misery was complete 4 minutes later when he was red carded after he charged out of his area to challenge Andy Campbell racing at lightning speed onto a through ball. The keeper messed up totally and crudely hacked him down. Achterburg didn't even wait to be told he was sent off as he started the walk of shame to the tunnel immediately but was called back by the ref, spoken to, then shown the red card so had to do the walk again much to everyone's delight (except 104 Tranmere fans) who waved him cheer-i-o.
Tranmere pulled off another player, used their sub keeper and tried another change later but having been doing nothing when it was 11 versus 11, they had no chance when it was 10 versus 11. City made sure it stayed that way, playing time professionally.
Best of all were Leo's party tricks as he was holding and juggling the ball. He looked like the world's best player when he met a superb Kav flick in the area, bounced it up twice and turned and then like ... well Leo really as he fired mightily high and wide into the Grange End. A moment later, he met a superb Leggy cross, the type that Thorney would have taken and headed in the wrong direction. Both had Lennie and the crowd laughing about it.
Maxwell came on for the tired Bowen, who had faded, in the closing phases but Bowen won fans' man of the match. James Collins got the sponsor award, I'd love to know how much drink the sponsors have sometimes!
Ray Mathias had time for one last moan. This time complaining about a steward who threw a ball to Leggy to take a throw as he kicked a ball himself onto the pitch which stopped play. He must be single, nobody could live with that.
It took City a long time to produce but it was a fully deserved win by final whistle. If the players felt tired, then they shouldn't feel inferior to Friday night opponents, QPR, who had to play extra-time and then lose at home on penalties to Vauxhall Motors!!! Viva La Vauxhall!
City, already the only Welsh team left in the competition, have non-league opposition too but the question is where will we play Margate who overcame Leyton Orient (Super Kevin Nugent and Matt Brazier) in another shock during a replay tonight. We'll be spared the knees up sing-song of doing a Chas'n'Dave and going "Darn To Margate" as their home ground is currently closed.
Better still, if Margate elect to play at "home", they are currently using Dover's ground. It will inevitably be the first recorded sighting of Bluebirds Over The White Cliffs of Dover since Vera Lynn sang about it (remember where you saw that line first!!). Dover's fine for me too as it'll be a combined Xmas Booze cruise and you can place your ciggy orders with me now - it'll pay for my day out after all!! I wouldn't rule out City trying to switch it to Ninian Park. Wherever it's played, it's a nightmare game as success for City will only be measured by a clear win and the prospect of losing is unthinkable.
Report from FootyMad.
Cardiff
Second-half goals from Andy Campbell and James Collins secured the victory after Micky Mellon had given the visitors hope with a first-half goal on the stroke of half-time.
Campbell levelled on the hour with a neat strike from 15 yards out and Collins made it two after he latched on to Andy Legg’s free-kick and poked it home between John Achterberg’s legs from five yards out.
With 18 minutes remaining Achterberg was then sent off for bringing down
“We didn’t play well enough in the first half,” admitted Lennie Lawrence. “But after half time we performed better and I was happy with my players’ response.
“Three things changed the game. The first was the substitution of Simon Haworth. That was a huge boost for us. The second was the finish of
“Of course he deserved to go and by the letter of the law it was a red card offence.
“We’ll go on to
“I didn’t make a very good connection, but luckily it went through the keepers legs, but as long as they go in I don’t care how I score them. We’ll take the victory and now it’s
“It’s going to be a tricky tie, but we can do it.”
External reports
The Western Mail
BBC (inc audio)
Soccernet