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The club stayed in 4th place but level on points with QPR, Wigan and Oldham in the Top 3 with a game in hand (at Plymouth on Tuesday evening).
The victory meant that The 2002 Bluebirds have now broken the record for City's longest run without an away defeat in league action. City's last away defeat (the horrific 4-0 hammering at Wigan which finished Alan Cork managership) was back in February. Since then City have had 9 wins and 2 draws, an incredible record. Add in victories in FAW Premier Cup, Divisional play-offs and Worthington Cup games and Cardiff are unbeaten in all 14 first team away games played since Lennie took charge. Hail The Mighty Mighty Bluebirds!!
Nottingham is 180 miles from Cardiff, all motorway until the final 11 miles. The roads were packed with an incredible number of coaches which, for a change, included me too travelling on one from The Lansdowne pub in Canton. We had the coolest driver, he drove in Jesus sandals and with one foot on the dashboard. Most stopped at Tamworth services, piles of cans filled the bins, the services manager told us on the way home that some raided the shop on the way and she has CCTV evidence of The Great Twix and Mars Bar robbery - you have been warned. The real highlight was yet to come at the pre-game pub.
As we arrived near the ground, Roger (the landlord) proudly announced that we had lunch arranged at The Cattle Market Tavern to a policeman who boarded our coach, we still don't know how the copper kept a straight face. The "pub" was a converted railway station waiting room with market traders everywhere around it selling disinfectants, plastic toys, car wash kits and stuff (you get the picture), half of the windows were boarded up, the main part of "Tavern" was a greasy spoon cafe but if you walked through a door, you were greeted by a 60's style formica bar and someone on a karaoke thinking he had the gig of his life as, maybe for the first time, he had a crowd to perform to. Unbelievable place.
They treated us to free bacon sarnies and chips but it's what you make of it and we had a fantastic time. Vince from the supporters club jumped on the karaoke and with The Monkees' Daydream Believer, he got the whole pub, including the Nottingham folk, to join in with 'cheer up Brian Flynn'. After half hour of chanting for Roger to get on the karaoke, some actually thought he could sing but they soon realised different as he gave the world's worst rendition of Delilah and made us ill as he stripped off singing, "I'm too sexy for my shirt". We had such a great time that supporters club held a collection for the bar staff and applauded by the locals as we went.
All suitably refreshed (or steaming - take your pick), it was time to go to the game, the away end was just a couple of minutes walk away. For a full description of Notts County's ground, see last season's reports on www.cardiffcity.com Just to say, it is very impressive for this level of football and probably has the best away end in the Division, a huge stand with more than 5,000 seats. For a club in serious financial trouble, it was a surprise to see the bars shut but most fans were already filled to capacity anyway.
Pre-match talk centred on whether City would continue with the successful lopsided 4-4-2 formation in this week's home games with Leggy pushed left and between midfield and forwards or whether Leo would return in the 4-3-3 system which has made City unstoppable on the road. Lennie opted to retain Leggy, team performances so convincing against Stockport and Brentford that he probably did not want to tamper with it.
Notts County are a side who just avoided relegation last season and are set to struggle all this season too. They have no real star names, Darren Caskey being the most familiar. They also included Dutch player, Marcel Cas, who caused City plenty of trouble last season ... however he was being 'marked' by Dean Gordon then! Like many in his team, he never stood out this afternoon. Notts had 2 draws and 2 losses from home games before playing City, those losses significantly against City's big rivals, Oldham and Wigan.
The foundations of this victory were firmly laid in a one-sided opening period, we should have had more than 1 goal to show for our efforts. Notts were bright at the start but City soon took over and then dominated them. The passing and movement was too strong for Notts as Kav, Whalley and Boland took over midfield and moved the ball well going wide and down the channels but no shame in that as we have same better sides suffer likewise during the past week. It was free flowing football, pleasing on the eye, and you knew that a goal wasn't going to be far away. Notts fans,dotted in pockets, in their large stands were already quiet and subdued, seemed to realise it too as their silence was deafening.
Chances soon came City's way, Earnie heading over twice and shooting wide too, he should have hit the target at least once, Thorney blasting wildly wide and Whalley smashing a volley into Notts keeper' Gardner's arms. But after 20 minutes, Garden dug the ball out of his net after Croft planted a stunning shot past him.
Kav, yet again running and putting himself about - he has rediscovered his enthusiasm - charged down the right wing, Notts defenders messed up clearing the ball and it found its way to GARY CROFT 25 yards out to the left and he unleashed a venomous drive which flew across goal and inside the far post, the keeper had no chance. It was a shot and goal that deserved to way any game.
City fans went mental in celebration and never stopped singing for the whole 90 minutes, all the 'Greatest Hits' were chanted! Loudest chant was probably for Notts sole derisory effort of the half, a shot that went miles over Alexander's bar to which City chanted, "Cheer up, Swansea's worse than you". Notts fans wondered if it was really true as their side were so poor but, in truth, they were being pulled apart by a team who were better man-for-man and making it count.
We celebrated "2-0" on half-hour, a Kav powerful low free-kick from 25 yards was parried by Garden, Peter Thorne followed up and slotted into the net. Fans and players failed to notice an offside flag, I'm still confused who was offside, where and how it happened but referee Robinson's performance was awful all afternoon. He is a bad ref, he's already sent 6 off this season, and has a love affair with his yellow card too but his decision making was baffling much of the afternoon, most of it seemed to be against City but the players were used to that after Stretton's bad performance in midweek.
City closed the half in total control but should have been slightly concerned that they had failed to put the game out of Notts County's reach.
HALF-TIME: NOTTS CO 0 CCFC 1
The second half wasn't the best football or spectacle, it verged on boring at times but no game is boring when City are winning. Fact of the matter was, it was up to Notts to open up City and make a game and they weren't good or strong enough to do that. Neil Alexander had a very comfortable 90 minutes, rarely having to take a cross, never mind having to face a shot on goal. I think I could play in goal for City at the moment, it's a tribute to our defence and those who play in front of them and help out.
Notts tried to attack and make a game of it, they had to, City were content to deal with that and try to kill them on the break. Ref Robinson incensed City fans when he denied one of the most obvious penalties I have seen in a while, Andy Legg - returning to a favourite former club - meeting a Willie Boland chip and facing goal, was bundled over. He had no need to go down and the push was very apparent.
Richardson was losing control as he awarded Notts an innocuous free-kick, booked Kav, moved the free-kick forward 10 yards which brought out a rousing chorus of "you don't know what you're doing" and well as songs querying if he knew his parents. It nearly got worse as the resulting Caskey free-kick Alexander's post, City cleared comfortably enough, it was the biggest (only) scare.
As much as Notts tried, and they did, the only notable chances fell to City. Earnie blasted a volley straight at Garden's chest and was denied at the last moment a little later by a last gasp defensive challenge as he looked set to score. Earnie was also close with a couple of headers, both went over the bar. Again he should have done better but it's amazing how he continually wins so much in the air when he is, by far, the smallest player on the pitch.
It is worrying that City couldn't put Notts away but we were convincing enough. Both teams appeared to have settled for the result late on, City made changes as Campbell replaced Earnie for the final 5 minutes, the ginger striker almost getting a killer goal but also denied by a late challenge as he broke into the area, whilst Leggy was replaced by Barker just after to give us a back five to ensure the win. Leggy had a good reception from both sets of fans.
And that was just about it. Not too many incidents but easy enough. A quality goal to win the game again. A 2nd successive clean sheet with opponents totally snuffed is very pleasing too. We should have made our dominance count for more than a 1-0 win. If there is a minor grumble, that is the one, we have outplayed, outfought and outthought Stockport, Brentford and Notts over the past week but only beat two sides by a single goal and the other weren't killed off until late in the game. But who's complaining when we win? Not me!
Report from FootyMad
High flying Cardiff City arrived at Meadow Lane not having been beaten away from home since February - and continued their run.
In contrast Notts County went into action without a single home win to their credit - and crashed again.
The mood among the rival fans matched the difference in the quality of their teams.
Nearly 2000 Cardiff supporters left the stadium joyful, whereas the County followers - many of who left before the end - trudged home in silence.
Cardiff City gave a master class to their labouring opponents in the first 45 minutes and only wayward finishing left them only one goal ahead at the break.
That was scored by defender Gary Croft with just over 20 minutes played, when Notts failed to close him down 35 yards out and his low left foot drive flashed inside Stuart Garden's left hand post.
Chief culprit when it came to missing clear chances was Cardiff striker Robert Earnshaw who failed to put away any of six opportunities. In fact not once did Earnshaw seriously test Garden, who must have been relieved by the nippy little forward's generosity.
Notts did not carve out a single chance worthy of the name in the first half and although they improved marginally in the second, they remained nothing like good enough to trouble Cardiff.
The visitors always looked likely to add to their haul and would almost certainly have done so, but for a rock like performance by Nick Fenton at the heart of the Notts defence.
Notts manager Bill Dearden was so furious at what he called his side's lack of passion and commitment that, for the first time, he went public with his scathing criticism of them after the game.
External reports
Notts County Mad
The Football Echo
Notts County.net
BBC Wales (inc audio)
The South Wales Echo
The Western Mail