The record books will detail Peter Thorne's magic hat and head followed by Earnie, grabbing his 7th City hat-trick before half-time, which then became his first ever four goal haul. Those present again applauded what can only be labelled as another total football display. Everyone played their part and produced special moments, it was impossible to find anything to complain about or any weak link, it was near perfection. Gills looked a well beaten, battered, side by final whistle but they are no mugs - this was all about Cardiff in irrepressible form, not Gillingham deficiencies.
Having gone unbeaten with 7 points against the best that the Midlands had to offer in the shape of Forest, Derby and Walsall. Cardiff sent fans into football heaven as they blew Gillingham away after a fortnight's enforced lay-off. Yet again the style and entertainment could not be denied - plenty of incidents to discuss, an unbelievable 4-0 half-time lead and as one punter remarked, maybe we could do with tissues being dispensed at turnstiles.
City had Gabbidon absent (his minor injury now approaching 1 month out) and Lee suspended but his 3 game ban relatively meaningless after his knee injury training with Eire is likely to keep him out for upto 6 weeks regardless. James Collins never lets City down and was back for more whilst Peter Thorne had his first full start of the season. So it was Alexander, with a defence of Weston-Vidmar-Collins-Barker, midfield with Robinson-Kav(C)-Boland-Langley and Thorne-Earnie with the striking honours.
As for Gills, they arrived at Ninian Park in good form. The only professional team in Kent - you know, that place you have to pass through to catch ferries and trains to France - like City, they had suffered only 1 defeat this season, were unbeaten away and started the day in 9th, one point and one place above us but having played a game extra. Their side contained familiar names (to us, anyway) and on the circuit.
In goals was Welsh Under-21 Captain, Jason Brown, fresh from letting in 8 against Italy last weekend but whose heroics then earned a U-21 0-0 draw vs. Finland at Merthyr in midweek. Defence were John Hills (ex-Jack on loan but who also played well against us, including last season, for Blackpool), Barry Ashby and Ian Cox (Cox, whose cousins hail from Ely and Bob Bankers well known to many of us) plus Captain Chris Hope. Midfield were Nicky Southall, Nosworthy, Paul Shaw (who had a hugely unsuccessful loan as a striker from Arsenal cut short at Ninian almost a decade ago) and Spiller whilst their strike duo were Marlon King and The Big Mamma aka Mamady Sidibe aka ex-Jack who was reminded of that by the City faithful. Their manager, 38 year old Andy Hessenthaler, linked with the vacant West Ham job, featured as a substitute.
The weather was perfect - a glorious mid-September day with temperatures touching the 80's - the pitch was perfect as always and Ninian looked packed with the biggest turnout of the season except for the away section occupied by little more than 300 Gillingham fans yet the crowd was announced as 15,057. Where they could have fitted the "missing" 5-6,000, I really can't work out.
Sam was in good form, ayatollahing on request, and flanked in the directors box by Neil Kinnock and John Toshack. Tosh's appearance doubtless will spark off more rumours but he's unemployed and lives in Swansea so who can blame him coming to Ninian!! His legendary striking partner from the last time City hit these heady heights, Brian Clark, was also present at the game.
The opening stages were quiet, City in control and if there was anything to criticism, they were perhaps guilty of playing too much football but after the dross we've seen for decades, how can we dare criticise our team for doing that? Gillingham's defence were safely coping with City's advances without panic and nothing more than a half chance to each side but Kav was already running the show and the other City player especially shining was Rhys Weston, as he got forward and made overlapping runs. He is a confidence player and his personal satisfying midweek Welsh performance had put him on a new high.
Just as the visitors had appeared to weather the early storm, Cardiff scored two in two minutes and your instinct told you that it was game over and a case of how convincingly City would win.
18 minutes - City carved another right hand side move which the Gills initially snuffed but when the ball came to Weston, 30 yards out on the touchline, he hit a belter of a far post cross brilliantly finished by PETER THORNE in true Peter Thorne style as he placed a looped header back across goal that was perfection as it went in nudging the far post with Brown motionless.
20 minutes - the crowd still celebrating as singing Peter Thorne is Magic as Weston got onto a Kav through ball and won a corner. Kav's outswinger was met by Thorney again, blocked and deflected on its way to goal and may have gone in anyway but from all of 2 yards, EARNIE gleefully forced the ball over the line and double-somersaulted on his way to the Canton Stand, Grandstand corner of the ground.
Cardiff's football was supreme, Gillingham's back-line and midfield looked pedestrian and they just could not live with another exhilarating City display. The passing and movement was simply too good for them and light years ahead of anything seen in a Blue shirt for decades.
Gillingham nearly pegged one back before the half-hour in a rare foray as Kings latched onto a Hills cross deep into the City area but as he shot and looked certain to score, James Collins produced heroics to get his body in the way and send the ball looping over the bar.
Panic over and City continued taking the game to Gillingham, who weren't poor, but were certainly being made to look that. City's sharpness and speed of thought sent fans into absolute raptures and it produced two more goals before half-time.
35 minutes. Rhys Weston - again!- overlapped on the right and was brought down by a defender already booked for doing likewise earlier. Gills defenders switched off as they slumbered into the area, Weston - not normally noted for his speed of thinking - put the ball down immediately, knocked it low and diagonally into the 6 yard box where EARNIE nipped in, ahead of Brown and produced a delightful low chip over his body. Another double somersault in the same corner, this time with the corner flag lifted out of the ground as a sub microphone for him to sing in.
As the game restarted, the 4th official called the ref to the touchline where player-manager Haesenthaler was dismissed to the stands, obviously for something said out of frustration as his team collapsed in front of him. To add a twist to the tale, two minutes later, he then brought himself on as a sub and later got booked too. It looked strange but was presumably all above board, Hessenthaler was asked to leave the dugout as a manager, not player, and not shown a red card for his earlier indiscretion.
It was a minor distraction as four-midable City made it four-nil with the last kick of the half. Bang on half-time, another quick move sent Thorne in, Brown came out, Thorne down - penalty! Kav has been taking them this season but with the game in the bag and Earnie on a hat-trick, it was no shock to see the wee guy line it up and then dispatch it safely for his 2nd hat-trick of the season and a perfect reply to those who wanted to criticise for his out-of-position midweek Welsh display. Earnie took a worrying knock but it was nothing worse than a kick on the shin.
Wherever you looked, Cardiff were fantastic. Alexander had nothing to do other than take a couple of crosses but Weston and Barker were flying, Collins and Vidmar dominated efficiently and with no mean skill, a Vidmar 50 yard flick out to Kav being particularly memorable. Midfield grabbed the game from the start and their combination of work-rate, skill and passing with Kav totally running the show was too much for their opponents. Earnie and Thorne did what they had do and didn't they do it well?
The only question was when did City last have a half-time four goal lead? Oldham away was the answer when we led 5-0 at the interval two seasons ago but I can't recall the last time it happened at Ninian. Over to you statto aka John Heyda.
Half-time: CITY 4 (FOUR) GILLINGHAM 0
The game already won, it was just a case of avoiding injuries ahead of two big away games in the next week at Reading (Tuesday) and Sheff United (next Saturday). Gillingham threw on their remaining 2 subs, one of them was Rod Wallace (replacing Sidibe probably glad to get out of Wales again) but Cardiff retained their line-up. It was no shock that the tempo and intensity dropped and, at times, it almost resembled a training exercise.
Cardiff were a little too complacent in the opening stages and allowed Gillingham to get amongst them. Shaw and King made Alexander save, Hessenthaler sent a drilled shot across the face of goal before Collins and Vidmar stamped their authority on matters again, Collins particularly impressing to the extent that you could hardly say Danny Gabbidon was missed even though he is always when he's not about.
Cardiff got forward again, Kav and Langley taking it in turns to fire free-kicks at Brown with several efforts not quite finding the height and being taken with relative comfort. Langley also shot wide with a 25 yarder before Alexander made another good stop, fisting away a King drive.
It was, in the context of what went before, uneventful stuff but on 74, it was 5-0 with EARNIE grabbing the honours and headlines. Another quick move down the right involved Boland, Weston and Robinson. City sped into the area where Robbo floated the ball over Brown and was desperately unlucky to see it bounce off the post but Earnie was alert enough to be there first and stroke home for his third finish inside the 6 yard box and produce more terrace and stand mayhem.
It was Earnie's first four goal haul but it was unusual to still see him around after a hat-trick, he's usually put back into cotton wool once he gets his third. He won sponsors man of the match, and with his goal haul, but goals apart, he had a quiet afternoon if that doesn't sound a contradiction. This was another brilliant team performance although, individually, Kav, Collins, Vidmar and Weston all had valid claims.
Brown took a knock that move trying to prevent the goal but carried on injured with all subs used. Chris Barker almost made it 6 as he got forward to unleash a lofted drive with venom that Brown did well to parry away and that was it.
Final whistle produced yet another standing ovation, it's become a habit but what a habit to have. OK, there's 40 games to go, and harder challenges ahead but this is a result and performance that deserves celebration. Cardiff City in the Premiership play-off zone, who'd have ever believe that 3 years ago when we embarked on a Third Division campaign? Enjoy it, this is a very special time at a very special club.
A final message to Nick, the Barry schoolboy from Essex who supports City but plays rugby and wants to be a prop for England (work that out!). Your 1-1 prediction was a little bit wrong!!
Report from FootyMad
A scintillating performance from Wales striker Robert Earnshaw, who claimed his first four-goal tally in league football, fired the Bluebirds to an impressive win.
"Gillingham are a good side and no easy catch so it was a terrific victory," said City's skipper Graham Kavanagh.
"The clean sheet was just as important and while the match was won by half time it was vital that our defence stayed alert."Earnshaw notched a hat-trick in 24 first half minutes but it was Peter Thorne who opened the floodgates. He floated a far post header beyond the over-worked Jason Brown in the Gills goal and in off the post in the 18th minute.
Earnshaw notched his first three minutes later when the visitors failed to clear a Kavanagh corner.
The pint-sized striker made it 3-0 from a quickly taken Rhys Weston free-kick and then completed his hat-trick from the spot in the final minute of the half when Thorne was brought down by Brown.
There was no way City could keep up that momentum in the second half and it was not until midway that they improved their goal difference even further when Earnshaw reacted quickest to a rebound off the post to beat Brown.
"The clean sheet was the most pleasing part of that performance," said Bluebirds boss Lennie Lawrence.
"It was a good all-round performance and every player contributed to an outstanding victory.
"They were battered today but Andy Hessenthaler is one of the brightest young managers and he certainly made a difference when he came on just before half time."Hessenthaler was so unhappy with his team's display that he refused to speak to the press. His assistant Wayne Jones revealed that the player-manager was incensed by his side's dismal performance.
"We have a good away record and our side were bigger than Cardiff's yet they scored two goals from headers," he said.
"I only hope they don't play as well as that when they visit our place."Cardiff City have undoubtedly announced their arrival in Division One and on this form few would bet against them being in the promotion frame at the end of the season.