I think City are going to have to play very well indeed to beat Wolves, who are in my view promotion candidates. With players such as Cort, Miller, Craddock, MacNamara and now Anderton they have more “names” than any other Championship Club and have lost only one of four tough opening games, at Leeds. A draw away at Southampton with 10 men suggests that they’ll be a tough nut to crack. Basically we’ll have to emulate Leeds who had the advantage of scorers Lewis and Hulse, both players who’d easily get into City’s team. The trouble with a new team like City’s is that it is going to be very difficult to press the game for 90 minutes, so I’d be trying to play the offside trap as high up the pitch as possible and squeeze the game in midfield. Then again, if Miller gets through on the wing have we got enough pace to get back. It’s going to be a tough one and as I think a win is unlikely, I’ll settle for a draw and a good overall performance. As I said, it’s a long journey!
I’d completely overlooked that the Rugby League Challenge Cup final is on this weekend in Cardiff and the train is delayed and packed out. There’s only enough time for an ice-cream in the Hayes and I need to get down to Ninian Park to buy my ticket. Outside the ground I notice the Echo is running a front page banner “Stadium: City are ready to proceed”, the “are” being highlighted, so I buy one and a Clark’s pie inside the Grandstand. I’m really very excited about this stadium development, but the article doesn’t really clarify the headline and it looks like any hard news will come out of the shareholders meeting next month.
I love Ninian Park and although people call it dilapidated, in fact the view of the Bob Bank filling up bathed in sunshine is sublime. How can anyone want to be on their summer holidays at this time? It looks like we’ll get over 10,000 today, which with the combined disincentives of battling the Millenium Stadium Crowds and missing the Ashes on TV would be OK. I’m getting used to listening for hidden messages via the music on the Tannoy and while “I still haven’t found what I’m looking for” by U2 is connected to our hunt for a striker, The Kink’s “Autumn Almanac” and the theme from “The Good, The Bad and the Ugly”, I can’t fathom.
Anyway, out come the teams. Wolves are well-supported as always which makes for a great atmosphere. After an end swap with City to attack the Grange, I can’t make out the City formation, Ledley is in for Barker on the left, Weston’s solid display at Colchester deservedly keeps him in. Loovens also keeps his place from Colchester, Koumas starts as does Alan Lee. Ledley seems to be further ahead than a full-back, perhaps to counter the threat from Miller’s runs, it’s a sort of 4-4-2, but not quite a 3-5-2. I’ve got to make a few notes and the pie is still too hot to eat. Let’s hope City start with a good tempo.
Purse is quickly in action with some headed clearances and Lee puts in a solid header to clear a corner. A bit of a scrap in midfield and City attack down the right, Lee picks up the crossfield ball and suddenly it’s a fantastic ball over the Wolves defence and Cameron Jerome is moving in fast. JEROME jumps and heads across the keeper, it looks like it’s going inside the far post, yes it is !!!!! What a start! My pie meets an early end on the floor. 1-0 to City.
Now it’s Wolves responding immediately and a cross from the right sees Ndah with a completely free header – it’s cleared off the line, couldn’t see by whom through the melee. This is certainly a breathtaking start and Loovens twice has to make big headed clearances before a crossfield ball from Koumas puts Jerome through 1 on 1 with the keeper 2-0!!!, no it’s gone wide, unbelievable! that really should have been two goals.
On 16 minutes Purse gets through from a high ball forward but applies a centre back’s finish off his thigh. Weston put in a superb tackle at the back to foil Wolves at the other end and Koumas moves the ball forward. His shot from 20 yards is dragged wide.
Then Wolves start to take the game to City with a series of attacks. These attacks are from short passing movements around the area and on several occasions through balls are having to be dealt with by last-ditch defending. I’ve got a list of about six near-scoring opportunities. We shouldn’t be allowing them to do this at this stage of the game, we should be pushing up. However, providing Wolves don’t score it is also giving us a chance to attack on the break and around the half-hour mark Lee, Boland and Weston make strong runs, but without getting a shot on target.
I’m coming down to the conclusion that Olofinjana is starting to run midfield with strong running and passing and terrier-like battling from Whitley and Boland isn’t cancelling out his creativity.
Just before half time only a full-stretch Boland tackle prevents a 1 on 1 situation with Cameron. As half-time approaches City are keeping their midfield shape well. But then Kenny Miller gets through (which is the other problem when City do push up), he’s on his own, but up goes the flag from the linesmen, that looked close! Miller’s not happy, he knows he may have scored. Instead he lets himself down with some unsporting conduct and is booked.
It’s all still happening however and next Weston has to make an outstanding tackle inside the area before Olofinjana powers a header from all of 16 yards which is dealt with comfortably.
Half time Bluebirds 1-0 Wolves
My half-time view was that the game is unlikely to stay at 1-0 and it’s a shame we don’t seem to be able to put Wolves under more pressure as we could have scored three by the time they were in the game.
Andy Legg’s at the game and gets a big reception as do comments by Ali, the stadium announcer making a mock public apology about the New Stadium at Swansea’s expense.
The second half starts and City make hard work of clearing a Wolves attack and it goes for a corner. Joleon Lescott of Wolves hammers in a shot which Alexander somehow sees and pushes around the post to his right. That looked like a goal!
Wolves tall attack of Cort and Ndah was causing problems. Then it was City’s turn, Koumas broke the offside trap and attacked down the left, he turned and the attack seemed to have broken down as he passed to Alan Lee. However, Lee saw Jerome arriving and laid the ball off across the area towards the Bob Bank and JEROME swept the ball past Oakes’ left hand and into the roof of the net. 2-0!!!!! Ninian Park went wild.
“Easy” was the shout and the Wolves support looked sullen.
On 52 minutes a thunderbolt shot from McNamara hammered back off the hoardings and Miller for Wolves made a great run for Ndah to waste the chance. For all their height the Wolves attack was getting very little on target, and Purse and Loovens were putting in solid defensive work. Kevin Cooper was then free as City broke through for the umpteenth time on the break. However, my feeling was that we should now be trying to spoil the game, battle and stop the stream of crosses coming in. Ledley’s strengths are not those of a full-back and we’d certainly have been looking more comfortable with Barker.
Then surprisingly Miller went off to a chorus of booing as part of a double substitution with Leon Clarke and Naylor on. This seemed to work to City’s advantage and for the next 10 minutes we were seeing more of the ball in midfield and both Loovens and Purse were being given a bit of a breather. City had a corner following good work from Koumas who intercepted a pass out of defence, but it was cleared.
So, just 20 minutes to go and my feeling was that we were looking good at last. City nearly scored a third goal when Alan Lee was just beaten to a diving header by the defence and Wolves were being pushed back. However, Alexander hurt his right hand in an attack on 72 minutes as he gathered low down. Not realising this, City played on and Alexander seemed to have recovered. Two minutes later showed he hadn’t; gathering another ball low down in the six yard box there was disbelief as the ball appeared goal side from under Alexander and there was Clarke, the sub to pass it into the net. Oh dear! 2-1.
Alexander recovered to make two solid saves, but City were now being subject to an aerial bombardment and Purse was looking like the player the fans have been expecting On 79 minutes Cooper went off to a good reception from both sets of fans and Ardley came on. It’s difficult to know what else City could do now but hold on, just get it down the other end!!! Alexander held a 20-yarder from Lee Naylor who had come on and on 84 minutes a corner was gathered cleanly. At this point I stopped taking notes as I felt it more important to shout and lift the boys, so the rest of the report is recollection. Ferretti came on for Lee, who rightly got a good reception. Loovens made a fully-committed clearance on 90 minutes and stayed down. Then it was announced that there would be a minimum of 4 minutes’ injury time. There was widespread booing of this, which I was joining in and as I looked back from the 4th official’s board, a ball was coming across and was smashed home by Lescott into the roof of the net.
Extra time was played out without any other clear opportunities. Ferretti had a run at the Wolves defence.
Although a large number had left with the equaliser, the final whistle was greeted with applause for the team’s display in what had been a hugely entertaining and at times exhilerating game.
I’ve not read any reaction or other reports of the game as I was on the train back and I didn’t want to colour my own opinion. Jerome showed he is an established striker at this level and will be amongst the goals this season. Only 8 teams have scored more than us. Lee looks like he is rejuvenated and has won back the fans after a series of committed performances in which he has set up all three of Jerome’s last goals. Purse and Loovens both looked solid and I’m not going to be hard on Alexander; if he hadn’t pulled off the wonder save after half-time, frankly it would have been 1-1 at that stage and we’d have lost. Koumas is starting to find some form. We have two winnable games coming up. Most of our problems I anticipated because of the newness of the team. Overall despite feeling down at the final whistle, there are more positives than negatives from the performance. Still early days
Report from FootyMad
A Cameron Jerome double failed to secure victory for the Bluebirds after Wolves hit back to equalise in the final minute.
Goals at the start of each half had given City the two-goal cushion they needed over a classy Wolves outfit but when substitute Leon Clarke pulled one back, Glenn Hoddle's side piled on the pressure and Joleon Lescott struck the equaliser in the closing seconds.
Cardiff boss Dave Jones gave first starts of the season to Rhys Weston, Glenn Loovens and Joe Ledley while Michael Oakes passed a late fitness test to take his place in goal for the visitors.
The Bluebirds took the lead in the third minute and it came after a storming run by Alan Lee. He won a corner which was fired over to the far post for Lee to head back into the danger area, and Jerome guided it into the net for his fourth goal of the season.
Wolves went straight back on the attack and Neil Alexander was forced to go full length to kick clear before City almost doubled their lead in the ninth minute. A superb pass from Jason Koumas sent Jerome racing away and as Oakes came out to block he slid the ball just wide of the post.
The first half drew to a close with City holding on to their slender lead.
Wolves almost equalised two minutes after the interval when Lescott shot towards the corner but Alexander leapt across to turn the ball away for a corner.
The Bluebirds flew back upfield and, after the ball bobbed about following a Lee shot, Jerome struck his second with a drive that took a slight deflection.
Hoddle made a double substitution on the hour and it was one of those replacements, Clarke, who brought Wolves right back into the game when he rounded Alexander and slipped the ball into the net from an angle.
In time added on Lescott crashed the ball home from close range after a goalmouth scramble to level it up.
Both sides went looking for the winner but it was Hoddle who was the happier man at the end after coming back from a two-goal deficit to snatch a point.