Trademark 56th and 77th Peter Thorne headers, one of them stunning, gave oh-so-average and boring Cardiff City an eventual comfortable 2-0 win over oh-so-poor and woeful Rotherham United. The visitors left Ninian Park with no win in 14 league games, equalling the worst run in their club history. The home fans were happy after seeing City both score and win at Ninian Park for the first time since the first week of the season but, if we're honest, what an absolute stinker of a game which hardly proved City have turned a corner.
Regardless, the Magic Hat Man lifted worried City fans who had endured total complete dross in stunned silence for 55 minutes, he lifted his team-mates who were giving every impression that they wouldn't score for the 7th time in 9 games and Thorney's efforts lifted the club out of the Bottom Three relegation zone for the first time since they entered it August 22nd.
It was no understatement to say that this was a must win match for both sides who, until those goals arrived, looked exactly what the Championship table showed they were - the worst and next worst sides in the table.
Perhaps it is understandable for Rotherham. Ronnie Moore has performed an outstanding job to take them to this division and, until this season, have them competing with the best at this level. The club are poorly supported, in relative terms, they have no money to spend and, even though, a take-over of The Millers too place during the week, it looks like Mission Impossible for them to avoid the drop already. With no wins, five goals and five points from 13 games, Rotherham are already 7 points adrift of the safety positions.
Not so for City who have the players to have performed far better than we have to date. We need to take positives though and it's 7 points from the last 4 games, home form and results seem to be turning, the side looking steadier and more consistent so there is reason to think we can now pull away but it's still going to be a major slog and City remain very mediocre.
Lennie's line-up was the most predictable aspect of the day as City took the field on a damp, grey afternoon with Warner, Williams-Gabbidon-Vidmar-Barker, McAnuff-Kavanagh-O'Neill-Parry, Thorne-Lee. Subs were Alexander-Bullock-Campbell-Collins-Ledley.That meant two changes from the side that should have beaten Leeds in the last outing a fortnight ago.
Captain Graham Kavanagh, available after suspension, returned to midfield replacing the luckless Willie Boland who was injured. The other change saw Alan Lee, facing his old club, for Andy Campbell Some will have been surprised to see the inept Campbell on the bench ahead of Cameron Jerome who offered plenty in a sub's appearance last game. Paul Parry had recovered sufficiently from a stomach upset to start and, so, thankfully had Peter Thorne who had to take tablets before kick-off whilst John Robinson's transfer to Gillingham the day before gave promising youngster Joe Ledley a place on the bench.
Rotherham's line up were Pollitt, Stockdale-Scott-Swailes-Gilchrist, Hurst-Barker-Sedgwick-Mullin, Burchill-Proctor. Subs Montgomery, Barker, Garner, Vernazza,Warne.
Four of their line up have always been with Rotherham, most of the rest are cast offs from
other clubs whilst Scotland's Mark Burchill, like City's Gary O'Neill, is on loan from Pompey. Only five of their 16 cost money, the whole team assembled for £350,000. Ronnie Moore has been unlucky with injuries, Scott Minto, one time City target (every club has one!) Andy Monkhouse, defender Martin McIntosh and forward Martin Butler all have long-term injuries and his attempts to bring in a loan striker, Leo Fortune-West being their prime target, failed in the week.
It was a hardly a match to inspire a big crowd and, sure enough, just 11,004 were inside Ninian Park. That included 93 Rotherham fans - the first half was so rotten, I counted them for entertainment - and prospective Wales manager John Toshack sitting next to Sam Hammam in the Director's Box. With 9,000 season ticket holders, it meant that not much money was going into the club. On the plus side, there was no queues for a half-time pee or drink, I liked that.
The first half made me wonder whether I would have been better of joining the missing thousands, it was dross in the extreme. It started brightly, Kav firing wide in the opening minute and Rotherham breaking up the other end but firing over the Grange End and just got worse and worse. Rotherham had a half-hearted penalty appeal, another effort hit one of their 93 fans in the away section. Tony Warner's only work of the half, the entire match in fact, was dealing with a couple of back passes and having to take a couple of goal kicks, I doubt that he has ever had an easier clean sheet in his career.
City, chiefly through Paul Parry, sent over a number of crosses but never got on the end of them or when they did, there was no power or direction. There was no purpose about Cardiff's play and certainly no ideas. Kav fired another wide and made Pollitt save from a free-kick and that was it. Rotherham were happy to defend deep and in numbers, City were struggling to make any impression, there was graft with Parry, McAnuff and O'Neill standing out but no imagination and, for spectators, it was dull beyond belief.
The atmosphere was awful too, I've been to noisier funerals. The linesman added three minutes injury time, I so wished it was zero, the half-time whistle produced a few boos and the only audible noise from those watching.
HALF-TIME: CITY 0 ROTHERHAM 0
The first half was poor, the second half was no better at all in the opening exchanges. The face painters outside the ground could have made a fortune if they did it inside the ground as paying to watch it dry would have been more enjoyable.
Rotherham caused a minor flutter when Burchill's shot deflected for a fruitless corner, that was their only threat of the second period. They only get near City's goal twice more, both distance shots horridly high and wide.
Suddenly, out of nothing, just after that corner. City got forward and the ball ended up in the back of the Rotherham's net for City's first goal at Ninian Park since the opening fixture against Coventry back on August 10th, our first home goal in 9 hours of football. Young fans asked "what was that?", their fathers had to explain what a goal was, so long had we waited.
The goal was neat though. Chris Barker, being watched by his brother Richie on the Millers sub bench, hit a long, high and hopeful ball to the far post from 35 yards out. The ball being hit so early caught out the visiting defence but not PETER THORNE who got behind them and nodded downwards inside Pollitt's near post. My emotions were happiness or relief, I suspect more of the latter and I'm certain it was the same for everyone.
City took control of the game with O'Neill. The taping around his ankles and socks may look stupid, like horse's fetlocks, but he was the only class operator on the pitch. Completely overshadowing Kav with his tackling, work rate and directness fired over. Kav himself got forward and made Pollitt save whilst Joe Ledley made a 25 minute league debut replacing Paul Parry and immediately getting stuck in and making an impression, a great sight to see.
The game was finished on 77 minutes with the only classy moment of the game. If the match belonged to several divisions lower, Thorney's second goal was Premiership class.
O'Neill took a corner (notice how Kav no longer takes them since Burton arrived?),it swung out but then, in a week when Superman's Christopher Reeves passed away, PETER THORNE, 10 yards out, looked the perfect replacement with a prodigious leap across the area that saw him get in front of his man and he seemed to hover before meeting the ball full on his forehead and putting an unstoppable header in Pollitt's top corner. The keeper got fingers to it but was powerless to prevent a supreme moment of quality by Thorne.
The kangaroo on the loose in Cardiff would have been proud of Thorney's leap for his 5th goal in 5 games. Funny thing is, other than those headed goals, I really can't think of anything else Thorney managed in the match. That sort of game.
With that, Rotherham completely disintegrated and by luck and poor finishing, were lucky to get away with 2-0, they could, perhaps should, have been hit for 4 or 5. Ronnie Moore, normally so passionate and animated, could only look on motionless knowing that his team looked doomed and it's still only October.
Alan Lee, sent clear on goal, hit the keeper when he really should have scored. Joe Ledley fired the rebound a fraction wide, the shot looked in all the way. Kav made Pollitt save and fired wide, Thorney fired wide too when a hat-trick opportunity was available and Gabbidon was just blocked at the far post. It was so dominant that the crowd were cheering every Cardiff pass. They showed how they still overplay however when a twenty pass move involving just about every outfield player saw the ball end up exactly where it was at the start, near the touchline on halfway!
It was great to celebrate a win, it was brilliant to see smiling faces and the players warmly applauded off. Seeing City out of the bottom three, Spencer Prior score against The Jacks as Southend beat them and Mark Hughes' Blackburn getting stuffed 4-0 at home made it a happy day all-round really.
The saying is that there are no easy games in football. Today, was an exception, The Millers were awful, the worst visitors to Ninian Park since we've been at this level. Only Cardiff could make such hard work of it. When the dust settles, everyone will realise that City must play much better than that if they are to get away from the drop zone and, then, hopefully further up the table. The real work is just about to start.