with an ultra-professional, clinical display to see off non-league opponents and make the Third Round of the FA Cup with the 'big boys' for the 7th successive season, an incredible record that nobody in lower tier football can come close to matching.
Three Divisions separated the side, the "gulf" looked much greater though. Margate weren't "ferry" good. Once City rode the early "storm", the home side were "sunk" inside the first 35 minutes and slumped out of the cup with barely a whimper. City's passing and movement, even taking it easy, was too much for them.
It's often asked if the romance of the FA Cup is dead. I'm sure it isn't but some clubs don't help it. Credit to Margate for playing at 'home' although tv money - both clubs had £40k from Match of the Day - had more to do with it.
Margate fans, needing to make a 20 mile journey to Dover, were unhappy with ticket prices hiked by 50% (£15 in the stand, £13 on the terrace). Until Cardiff complained, Margate also had no intention of offering concessionary prices to oap's and children either. City themselves caused more problems by making it as difficult as possible for fans to get match tickets unless they went to the Tranmere 1st round games. It's doubtful whether many more than the 350 would have made the 500 mile round trip a fortnight before Xmas with an unfriendly lunchtime kick-off but that's not the point.
In the event, fans of both sides voted with their feet with a poxy 1,362 'on board' a stadium devoid of any real atmosphere. That included 300 or Bluebirds over those White Cliffs of Dover who also liked the huge Bluebird sign on the hotel of the same name across the from the ferry port.
Our car load were on the way by 7:30am to make the 1pm kick-off. With the motorways empty, we "coasted" there in 3 and a half hours with a quick service stop too. I'd like to think my punk bootleg tapes of The Clash, Sex Pistols and Ramones made the journey quicker but I'm not sure if Mike Morris' boys will agree.
Good welcome in the pubs too, once they overcame their initial fears that hordes of visiting Welshmen were going to trash their town all whipped up by local media headlines through the week. Policing however was low profile and that was good to see. Our barmaid looked dirtttier than a Christine Aguilera video but top marks to her for arranging a mini bus to get us to The Crabble.
The ground, a mile inland, was only accessible by a 5 minute winding uphill walk through a public park ... but it gave us great opportunity to mock a rugby player warming up for a match later that afternoon in a Wales egg chasers shirt. He didn't like it, we did though!
The ground was ok for its standard of football. Covered terraces behind each goal, old stands either side, large hills as the backdrop behind one of them and, in classic FA Cup mode, someone watching it for free in a tree outside which probably made John Motson orgasmic with delight. Motty, in his trademark sheepskin, looked like a bird spotter in a specially built green box on top of one of the stands. It also had the other classic ingredients that Motty loves so much in FA Cup games, a heavy pitch which cut up quickly and which sloped from one side to the other.
Once inside the ground, City fans were freely allowed to move between the terrace and stand (hard luck to those who paid £15 to sit!) and we had the bonus of the dressing room being situated between both areas so the players walked within inches of us ... and take a closer look at Gary Croft's new haircut creation - the Fin as sported by Beckham in the World Cup and the lead singer of Travis. It was appropriate that he had a Fin by the sea! I can't help thinking he had it done especially for the cameras - poser!!
There was a lot of police, but not excessive, including an annoying cameraman who walked around filming all of us "for good evidence" as he put it. My filmed song and dance routine was the biggest crime he saw. Once they realised we were die-hard supporters and the likelihood of trouble was less than zero, they were very low key and joined in the banter.
City fielded a near full strength team but Gabbi and, more notably, Kav, had injuries. Leggy was Captain and in came Chris Barker and Jason Bowen. City changed tactics to 4-3-1-2 with Bowen in his free drifter role behind the front pair. He wasn't exceptional, he didn't have to be, but easily the best player on the park. Margate had no idea how to deal with his movement and, inevitably, City's best moments came when Bows was involved. Bowen must have seemed like the World Hide and Seek Champion to Margate's defence as he popped up all over the pitch from nowhere.
Cardiff made what now seems to be their customary poor and slow start. They really have to sort it out and quickly, a better side than Margate would have punished us and Margate should have. City always knew that Margate would come at them and they were a little lucky to survive the opening stages without being punished.
City's only effort of note in the opening 28 minutes was a Bowen shot which lodged in a tree outside. Earnie was quiet and a little casual, he didn't look "up for it". The fact he was playing in gloves, it was cold but not that cold, made you think it.
Margate tried to launch "waves" of early attacks and take the game to City in the opening quarter of an hour. One Margate shot flashed into the side netting, Prior was booked for a rash challenge. In City's dodgiest moment, Prior totally lost Keyster through ball watching as a cross came in from the wing, Keyster messed up his attempted shot in front of goal but the ball ran to Phil Collins who, Against All Odds, hit it In The Air Tonight and against the crossbar when it looked easier to score. Just as well their leading scorer was absent, having apparently been injured after mugged on his motorbike in London.
Any hopes Margate "harboured" of a shock swiftly ended as the tide turned and City showed their "mussel" to sail away waving goodbye with a simple 2 goal salvo within 8 minutes that left fans planning their post-game trips to France.
The opener, at the City end - always sweeter when it is - came on 26 minutes with Margate's defence "all at sea". Bowen drifted free on the right, cut past a defender to the by-line, looked up, knocked the ball to the far post for PETER THORNE to nod home almost apologetically in a "sorry to do this to you Margate but I have to" style. A simple goal but deadly. Up went the "Peter Thorne is magic" chant
On 34 minutes, it was WILLIE BOLAND who was magic with a rare goal. Earnie won a free-kick twisting past Margate's striking fireman captain, Porter, on the edge of the area. Croft, Leggy, Earnie and Boland all stood around but Boland stepped up and coolly steered the ball wide of the wall and into the bottom corner of the net with the Margate keeper static. Chants of "Motson, go home" cheered everyone up, except Motson.
The "floodgates" could have opened but Cardiff were happy just to stroke it around and control every single facet of the game, it was total dominance. The half ended with a near farcical goal when Mitten, Margate's keeper, swung wildly at a routine back pass, missing the ball entirely. The ball went about one foot wide of his near post. Mitten couldn't wait until half-time to get away from all the "dodgy keeper" shouts coming from the City fans behind him. He laughed back but there was no disguising his embarrassment.
Half-time: MARGATE 0 CITY 2
Cardiff fans needed the 15 minute half-time break to recover from the sight greeting them at the burger bar. Most football grounds have unappetising food, Margate went one better and had unappetising female flesh on display too.
Words cannot describe the horror of the young girl serving us who I thought was topless at first - WAHEY!! - then I realised she was wearing a boob tube (it's freezing and she has a boob tube but ... wahey!!) but once you got to the front of the queue, nothing prepared for the sight of her waist openly on view.
Let's just say a beer belly was bigger than mine (ok, close to it!), varicose veins that looked like an AA road map and skin with more folds than all the plastic surgery in Hollywood. I suppose you should admire her front for dressing like that but the last thing possible thing you could admire was her front ... or her sides ... or her back!!
Anyway, back to the football although there's hardly any football to describe in a second-half that saw City going through the motions and staying totally dominant. We were highly efficient and doing what we had to do, Margate weren't good enough to do anything about it.
Margate opened brightly, a shot blazed over and Alexander made a superb save to tip over a header at the last moment (won in front of Barker) that was looping under his bar. But that was the sum extent of their efforts, they appeared to just give up and accept defeat. They tried to play football and never got physical but they were simply unable to compete. You have to credit City for the way they applied themselves.
Cardiff showed they were far too strong as they knocked the ball around like you do when you're having a kickabout with mates with a ball and no goals. They passed around 20 or more times but without any real penetration or over-extending themselves. Interest in the game completely waned and fans just sat talking amongst themselves, it was like sitting in on a practise session. FAW Premier Cup games are more interesting. That wasn't City's fault or problem though.
With the game completely tied up, City gave a run out to Maxwell, Leo and Campbell for Disco Des, Thorne and Earnie. The pattern of the game hardly changed but City signed off with a third goal in the closing minutes.
The ball was won by a City from a Margate punt upfield, worked wide between Maxwell and Bowen before Andy Campbell tried a shot from 20 yards. The keeper's name may have been Mitten but his glovework left a lot to be desired as he got down but allowed the ball out of his grasp. With a finish that was typical Leo, he was first to the loose ball but snatched and mishit his shot. The mishit deceived Mitten, the ball found enough steam to roll over the line to ironic cheers.
And that was it ... it was good to applaud the players off as they walked past us and have a chat with them too. I was able to give ref Olivier stick for being shorter than me (it's not often I get the chance to joke about short people!!).
Lennie stood in front of us with his arms folded waiting for all his players to walk off clearly satisfied with a good afternoon's work. There is a point here - Lennie doesn't get much recognition for the job that he does. His record, in terms of results, probably makes him City's most successful manager ever. He is on course to steer us to Division One yet we hardly sing his name, ask him to ayatollah or give him the praise that he so richly deserves. He has moulded a great group of players into a highly effective team that consistently gets results, something Alan Cork was completely unable to do with the same personnel but we never stopped singing for Corkie. Lesser City managers, I just named one, have been loved more for doing far less. Isn't it time we started?
The day still wasn't over. There was the small matter of getting back to the centre of Dover but before that, we could chant to Dover rugby with their match now in full swing below us. Thanks to Hicksie for my lift back to town and I know Mike Morris and boys loved the lift in Alun Williams' hired limo. A police escort with motorbike outriders took us through the lights and to the harbour. Locals must have thought it was royalty and they came through followed by a limo but then wondered what was going on as that was followed by a Valleys Rams coach.
We made it three countries in one day by popping on Eurotunnel to France (a bargain £29 for a car and all passengers) and, thanks to my brother's Galaxy, filled up with Xmas beer, wines, chocolates for us and some ciggies in Calais which should help pay for the day out ... I hope! And who should be in front of us buying loads of wine in Calais Tesco but Mr Alun Evans ex-head of the FAW who also opted for the football/alcohol experience.
I seem to remember that Mike Morris and myself doing our best to devour a crate of Stella coming home and being very very tired when I finally got back home at 1:30am. A very long day but enjoyable for so many reasons.
External reports
The Football Echo
Wales On Sunday
Margate FC