The game may be considered as controversial but The Bluebirds messed it up big time and had only themselves to blame in getting nothing, exactly what they deserved.
Hopes were high as the day started, City picking up 4 useful points at Ninian Park in the previous 7 days, 2 more than Palace had collected in their previous 7 games. A London area trip always has a certain attraction and, sure enough, City sold their 2,000 allocation.
I made a day of it and actually got to Croydon before 9am but, true to form, was still late for kick-off! The reason being I headed into the centre and West End first. Don’t ask me why, I can’t explain now, but we went to see David Blaine in his tiny plastic box suspended near Tower Bridge (his movement was only slightly less than Richard Langley’s later in the day!) and, in our City shirts, tried to get him to ‘Do The Ayatollah’. I swear to you that the guy acknowledged us, didn’t ayatollah but held up a 2-1 gesture, I kid you not!! I hoped he meant to City, sadly not, that guy is magic!
Then we hit the main drag around Leicester Square/Piccadilly Circus/Chinatown and even happened, by chance, to bump into some interesting shops and venues in an area known as Soho. Four women approached me in the street and asked me ro go to their flats, I never knew London folk were so friendly. It’s not like that in Canton! All the fun of the morning was half-ruined by two cars having a head-on crash making us late for the game but nay mind.
Lennie and City were unchanged for the third successive game. Lennie was happy with the performances in the previous two games and with so many injuries, he had few options so it was Alexander, Weston-Gabbidon-Vidmar-Barker, Langley-Boland-Kav-Bonner and Thorne-Earnie.
Pa;ace came into the came with problems. Manager Steve Kember, a schoolpal that Lennie Lawrence doesn’t need to trace through Friends Reunited, was rumoured to be due for the sack if his side lost the game after their disastrous run of 2 points out of 21 and a midweek defeat at West Ham where his side were said to have been meek (and that was a kind remark).
Cedric Berthelin kept goal behind a back four of Haydn Fleming-Daryl Powell-Butterfield-Mullins a midfield with Shaun Derry, the midget Tommy Black (apparently a mate of Richard Langley’s judging by the chats they were having during the game and before kick-offs), Michael Hughes and 18 year old prospect Wayne Routledge. Their attack were Neil Shipperley and Dougie Freeman.
Routledge would have probably been a substitute but Andy Johnson withdrew from the game with his wife going into labour during the morning and giving birth in the hour before kick-off. It worked against City as Routledge turned in an all action man of the match display which saw him score one, make the other, torment City on both side and earn all the plaudits. Referee Clive Penton from Sussex was one to fear having produced an incredible 32 yellow and 4 red cards in his previous 8 matches this season making it obvious what he was about. He was controversial, allowing his cards to rule the day, showing little discretion or establishing any rapport with the player and acting like a robot as he added another 5 yellows and 2 reds to his collection in a game that wasn’t dirty in the slightest but that’s modern football for you and none could complain too much.
City produced a dreadful first half display and when punished, just when you thought that they would somehow survive until their half-time rollicking as Routledge pounced on 45 minutes. What was wrong with City? More like, what was right with them? They had no cohesion to their game, were being overwhelmed in midfield, played all their football in the wrong areas (around their goal rather than Palace’s!) getting them into trouble on a few occasions, isolated Earnie and Thorne and relied on players making forward bursts without giving support or the player getting fright. Weston never got over halfway and Barker, after early promise, wasn’t able to either and that has been a crucial part of City’s game-play. It looked quite bizarre as several City players went on charges forward without passing to easy options, gave the ball away cheaply and were then out of position as Palace seized the opportunity.
Palace, although not playing that well, were dangerous and on top throughout. They had an urgency about their game that, crucially, Cardiff failed to match. They pounced on our errors, attacked us wide and zipped in a succession of low, hard crosses. City never combated or responded to that style.
Cardiff had rare first half chances. Richard Langley bent an early free-kick narrowly wide of the post (before I was there to see it), the same player not quite able to get to a free far post header from Barker, Thorne heading over and Kav whistling a free-kick inches over within moments of Palace’s opener.
Some Cardiff players were “missing” in action. Rhys Weston looked poor as Tommy Black gave him a roasting (the football skill type not the Premierships stars in London hotel sort), Mark Bonner worked hard but having to play out of position does him or City no favours and Richard Langley is a great talent but again played like he was half-asleep.
Ponderous, Langley gave balls away or was easily dispossessed. As in midweek, when given the ball, I don’t think he took on a single opponent other than drifting inside and his game was underlined by one great, if fortunate, 50 yard run that saw Earnie and himself clear but he then didn’t know what to do. Langley’s a better palyer than that and will come good but with Bonner and himself struggling for different reasons plus Weston and Barker stuck at the back, no wonder we lost the midfield battle.
City’s defence led a charmed life cutting out crosses, Weston was lucky not to concede a penalty when Black feel to the ground with loud appeals but he (twice) and Gabbidon cut out danger when Palace strikers appeared set to score.
The goal came on 45 and was a dagger to the heart. Palace passed quickly, gave it to Butterfield on the left who tried to shoot from an angle at the edge of the area but hit a flukey hard and low ball across the box where WAYNE ROUTLEDGE, unmarked(!), turned it home from 8 yards sent the rowdy Palace fans mostly situated to our left into raptures. Cardiff fans ran to the bars for half-time solace to find the biggest rip off ever, warm bottled beer (no more than half-pint) on sale at £3 a time.
Half-time: PALACE 1 CITY 0
You hoped Lennie would use his experience to reorganize his players at half-time and they would take the opportunity to clam down, assess what went wrong and put it right but within 8 minutes of the restart, the game was effectively over with Place now two ahead thanks to suicidal City defensive play then Willie Boland needlessly got himself sent off leaving City with 10 men as their heads and discipline had gone.
The goal first, I hope our defence are still having nightmares about it because I am, I have rarely seen City concede a worse one and I’ve seen us let in a few hundred over the years.
Count the number of schoolboy errors in the following description.
Mark Bonner gave the ball away on the right touchline sending Wayne Routledge away. Hew turned Gabbidon inside out to the extent that Gabbi ended up on the florr but with danger looming, Tony Vidmar coolly cut out the cross. Danger over, well it should have been, but Vidmar went walkies out of defence and instead of getting the ball upfield, he passed to Gabbidon just ahead of him near the same touchline. Gabbidon was half-asleep and let Routledge take the ball off him again. His cross was nothing special but no defender was there to meet it and Alexander, instead of going for the waist high cross remained in the centre of goal and positioned himself on one knee ready to catch it completey unaware of NEIL SHIPPERLEY who stuck out a foot in front of him and steered it into the empty net before him.
How the Palace fans love it as the tannoy announcer said the first name of the goalscorer, NEIL, then, on cue, they boomed SHIPPERLEY. City fans were too distraught to care but appalling became a living horror as City ‘lost it’. Earnie, never in the game because he never saw the ball rather than quality Palace defending against him produced City’s first on target effort with a 20 yard snapshot that Bertholin had to smartly bring down under his bar before it went crazy.
First Freeman made Alexander save then Richard Langley was booked for a poor, needless challenge on Routledge now popping up on the left. A run by Freeman went through two defenders and his effort was just pushed past the far post by Alexnader who then tipped a header from the corner over the bar but as the ball was finally cleared and Routledge attacked the left again, Willie Boland stupidly scythed him and then had afters.
These are noit sending-offs as we used to know them but having brought down Routledge, like Langley, we knew it was yellow. His follow up action of having a dig at him then lipping away and continuing to confront the player whilst ignoring the ref made the red inevitable.
City fans went beszerk but it was mostly frustration. It got misinterpreted by the Met who sent reinforcements flying into the City end but all calmed down without incident.
There was really no way back for City, Weston was replaced by Croft but then The Bluebirds struck back with a truly magnificent goal out of nothing and suddenly back in it on the hour. KAVANAGH advanced, moved infield, played a smart one tow with Earnie and, as the ball retuned to him, he immediately hit a screamer on the outside of his right foot from 25 yards that curled on its way like an exocet into Bertholin’s top left corner. He was left helpless, no keeper in the world would have stopped it. One of the best ever City strikes I have seen. Now the City end were going mental for the right reasons.
Although now 10 versus 11, City were finally giving Palace a better game then when it was even numbers. Kavanagh, after a quiet first period, was now the leading light and orchestrating the match. City rode their luck several times in tyring to bring it level, I lost count of the number on three on three, two on tow, three on two or two on one breaks that Palace had and squandered but some credit for that must go to City for resolute defending. Gabbidon, I hope however, does not consider it a good idea to walk the ball right across his 6 yard box and have to survive three separate challenges again!
City tried and tired. Kav made Bertholin save and there were several moments that they threatened to produce but never quite did. They played 4-3-1-1 with Thorne dropped back and later, 3-4-2 and even 3-3-3 at the death before finishing 3-4-1 after Camopbell went. Not formations you see everyday, are they?
Kav was booked, a little unlucky I thought, or another challenge on Routledge but his 5th yellow of the season means he misses Coventry in a fortnight and shortly afterwards, Gabbidon joined him after he was so aggrieved for a free-kick awarded against him, his head went too and he argued with the ref for a minute during which Kav pushed him away on three occasions, one of them nearly seeing Gabbi square upto him.
Alexander let one floated Shipperley header go across his goal but so nearly caught out and it landed literally tow or three inches over the bar on the top netting then Shipperley guided another looped header over him and off the bar.
But City had their chance to equalize and really should have as Andy Campbell played in by Kav was sent racing away on the right with City on a three onto one break. Earnie lost his man who was unsure whether to stay with him or attack Campbell so lined up in the middle and Thorne was at the far post. Campbell needed to square the ball, a basic skill, and the rest was near formality but City fans screamed, cringed and pulled their hair out as he inexplicably fired over a ball so hard and so high that it went straight over everyone and out for a throw on the other side. Unbelievable.
Any lingering hope City had was killed by another suicide as Andy Campbell, right in front on the referee, got in a tangle with Derry and punched out. On for 10 minutes and losing his head twice to throw away our big equalizing opportunity and then sent off.
It was a defeat that leaves City in some tatters and, ironically, Lennie will perhaps be glad of next week’s enforced break as there is some damage to repair. Hopefully some injury victims will get fit but, even so, he faces a game at Coventry in front of Sky cameras on the 14th without Boland and Kav. Cardiff have looked a little lightweight in squad strength and he will surely use the break to bring in reinforcements, he probably has no choice as he needs to arrest a run of three successive away defeats.
Report from FootyMad
Crystal Palace got their first win in eight as Lennie Lawrence's Bluebirds ended up with two red cards at Selhurst Park.
The Eagles went into a two-goal lead with strikes from Wayne Routledge on 45 minutes and Neil Shipperley two minutes after the break.
Then Willie Boland got a straight red after kicking out at Routledge before Graham Kavanagh got one back for Cardiff on the hour. In the final minute the Welshmen were in more trouble with Andy Campbell being sent off after clashing with Shaun Derry.
This result will bring some relief for Eagles boss Steve Kember who has been under pressure after a run of bad results from his side.
Routledge, recalled to the starting line-up, was Palace's spark. The 17-year-old fired a low shot past Neil Alexander for his first goal of the season following good work from Danny Butterfield on the right.
Routledge then capped an excellent performance with the perfect cross into the six-yard box for Shipperley who got in front of Alexander to put Palace in the driving seat.
Boland tried too hard to stop Routledge and kicked out at the youngster no doubt in frustration and referee Clive Penton had no worry in showing him the red card.
Kavanagh pulled one back with a wonderful volley from 25 yards but it was the home side who were doing the pressing as Shipperley hit the bar and Dougie Freedman had a couple of headers flash just wide.
In the closing stages Campbell clashed with Derry and Penton once again pulled out the red card.
Penton confirmed after the game that Campbell's sending off was for attempting to strike an opponent while Boland was for kicking out but Eagles boss Kember thought the decisions were "harsh and unfortunate".
External reports
IC Wales
The Western Mail