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It is make or break time, every game is now effectively a cup final. Had results gone the other way, City would have returned to South Wales 8 points behind Crewe and in some turmoil. Instead, we're 2 points behind them, clear in 3rd place and with a game in hand. There have been too many false dawns in City's season and there's no time for another. City must build on this confidence and morale boost with a series of very winnable games over the next couple of weeks and crank up the pressure on Dario Gradi who now has to contemplate using youth players to cover an injury crisis at Gresty Road.
Cardiff's recent poor performances and results meant that, for the first time in a long while, the mood was more hope than expectation, nobody dared predict what would happen. The journey was good, the notorious M5/M6 bottleneck quieter than normal, the weather mild and, best of all, the match was on! A huge relief to the 400 or so travelling supporters, nearly all of whom made the 150+ mile journey a month ago to find the fixture postponed less than an hour before kick-off.
As we entered Vale Park, the first thing some noticed were two dozen huge pitch covers rolled up all around it - why the hell weren't they used to protect it last time?
Vale Park is a strange place altogether. Situated only 4 miles from Stoke's Britannia Stadium, the ground's floodlights are visible from a long distance away but, once inside, the lighting quality is so poor with half the bulbs missing that eyes strained trying to follow play at the furthest end. The pitch is reputedly the biggest in football but the touchline on one side is brought in 10 or more yards from the home support in a pitch length large terrace converted to two tier stand, not disimilar to the Bob Bank.
It was slightly amusing to see Vale's "10 boys, you've only got 10 boys" get as near to goad us (quietly) 1st half but, non-league style, disappear to the furthest end in the second period as their team attacked there.
The so-called BIG stand opposite us wasn't that big really and only seemed to have 30 people in it! To our right were the most obvious signs of Port Vale's long standing financial worries. Half of it nearest us was a building site with hardly any work having taken place since our last visit in October 2001, the bulk of their support were housed in the other half.
The City end was decent. All seated, we all stood (as usual). Food and drink, including beer and lager, was much cheaper than most grounds and Vale offered a generous £2 admission discount as a gesture of goodwill but was still £15 to get in, more than most Div 2 grounds. Thanks fopr the gesture though Vale and thanks to Gwyn from Valley Rams for negotiating it. Nice to see our club did nothing for us, it needed a supporter to sort it out.
The large 20,000+ all seater stadium was wasted on a 3,841 crowd, the home fans hardly visible and never heard. City fans, by contrast, were excellent. The support started before the teams came out, got louder when the Port Vale p.a. blared out "Rule Britannia" and never stopped for the entire 90 minutes. When it comes down to the hardcore support, the passion is always there no matter how worried or critical (with justifcation) we may be before or afterwards.
Lennie Lawrence, under siege and under fire, is undoubtedly feeling the pressure having tried just about every formation and combination this season but failing to find the winning formula knew he had to gamble and went for, no other way to put it, shit or bust.
He reverted to 4-3-3, used with very limited success earlier this season but with the midfield trio of Boland-Kavanagh-Bonner, a line up many fans have yearned for, especially away from home. A combination of injury and, undoubtedly being out of favour, meant Bonns was only starting his second league match in more than 10 months.
The forward line had another "old" face as Gavin Gordon, who has impressed in cameo cap and league sub appearances. Handed his first league start in over a year for similar reasons to Bonner, he was even loaned to Oxford last Autumn. He played as a line leader with Peter Thorne, equally loved and loathed these days, playing just behind Earnie and Gav.
Both players grasped the opportunity and were highly influential figures in an excellent Bluebirds display which was too powerful, too classy and too much for a dispirited home team who, like their sparse support, had little to offer.
Vale were the sort of team that The Bluebirds need to put away with few problems if they are serious promotion contenders and so it proved. They are on a major downward slide - 2 wins, 2 draws and 9 defeats in their 13 league games since November now leaves them hovering just 2 points above the Division 3 relegation zone. On the night, they looked like exactly like a Division Three side ... or worse.
City's defence, giving each other 'high fives' before kick-off will also be delighted with a clean sheet but they barely had a threat to face all night. Two shots were blazed high and wide, Alexander made the only save he needed to on 90 minutes and that was it.
City established control from the very first moments, not always a feature of their displays this season. It was a combination of Cardiff's pressing and play with City's midfield forcing them forward and waves of attacks being built, almost exclusively on the left with Barker, Bonner and Croft featuring strongly. Vale's defence felt harassed having to watch Earnie, the leading scorer in the country, Gordon putting himself about and Thorne with some freedom just behind them.
It was more than Vale were able to cope with, they were undoubtedly guilty of allowing Cardiff all the time and freedom they wanted to play, City didn't hesitate to take advantage. The only wonder and worry was how or why did City have just a 1-0 half-time lead for the most embarrassingly one-sided half I have seen an away team impose for ages?
Earnie signalled City's intentions early as he forced a 1st minute save from Delaney then just missed connecting with a drive after Gordon forged an opening. City were winning a succession of free-kicks and corners with Kav looking a menace every time. His set piece play tonight was excellent, he must have been working hard at it as they were well above his delivery for much of this season. Inswingers, outswingers, near post, far post, right height, both goals came from his set piece play. Vale were happy to scramble away or concede another corner as they were under the cosh.
Peter Thorne looked as if he had opened the scoring midway through the half as he hit a surprise dipping volley from 25 yards that clipped the top of the bar with Delaney struggling had it been on target. Moments later, he fired narrowly wide too but it was brief respite as City opened their account on 33 minutes.
Kav won a free-kick which was twice taken, a fussy ref who made poor decisions for both teams, stopped the first to spend a couple of minutes lecturing players. When Kav re-took it, on the left 20 yards out, the ball was angled right into the goalmouth where GAVIN GORDON charged in and hustled the ball over the line, connection coming with his stomach or knee but, from close range, Delaney had no chance.
From the restart, there was a flashpoint as Brooker fouled Barker, having another excellent game, who retaliated and kicked him back in front of the officials. Both were booked, Barker could have walked for his moment of madness.
City's dominance was total but they stepped up the pressure even more and as half-time arrived, hitting the woodwork twice. The first was a beautiful Kav free-kick over the wall curling away from goal which clipped the outside of the near post. The ex-Stoke figure is a bit of a hate figure to Vale fans who take some pride that Kav has never scored against them then Scott Young met a corner with a rising half volley that smacked the top of the bar.
HALF-TIME: PORT VALE 0 CARDIFF CITY 1
Most half-time banter was that Lennie would settle for the 1-0, tell his players to drop deep and defend, remove Earnie, Thorne and Gordon for three defensive subs ... but we felt relief as we noticed Alan Mahon was well again and on the bench, the hapless Spencer Prior made way for him and wasn't to be seen.
For a while however, you wondered as undoubtedly inspired by Brian Horton's half-time rollicking, Vale lost their respect for City and decided to take the game to us. That was doubly bad news for City fans as it meant play was again at the far end in the gloom.
However Cardiff never defended deep, didn't pull everyone back and Vale hardly caused a problem anyway. There was no spell of sustained pressure, they hardly got near our goal and the chanting City fans never really felt uncomfortable. The only discomfort felt were by the mass of empty plastic seats in the big seats getting whacked by a couple of hopeless Vale pot-shots.
Gavin Gordon continued to cause problems to the Vale defence, Sam Collins was booked for bringing him down, Gordon too was unbelievably booked in that incident for presumably trying to get back up. Worse followed a few minutes later as the niggled Collins clearly put his studs into the back of Gordon's right leg as both players clashed again. The ref and linesman stopped the game and consulted then decided neither of them saw what happened and played on.
On 64 minutes, it was 2-0, only the 2nd time in 12 games City had created such a gap and breathing space and against these opponents, definitely game over.
Kav caused more problems, this time with a corner kick and won another. His follow up was better and showed one of the strengths of this system, his outswinger across goal was met brilliantly by PETER THORNE drifting in late, he wasn't picked up, his perfect downward header powered inside the far post. City fans and players were joyous, the Peter Thorne song ringing out as did every City song all night.
The final 25 minutes were quiet with the game effectively dead and City were comfortable closing it out. A Kav snapshot made Delaney save (it's not coincidence that Kav looked far better with Boland and Bonner freeing him from some defensive duties, is it?) and Super Super Gav, Super Gavin Gordon - arguably City's man of the match - heading over.
Vale's meek response was another opening fired well into the stand and Alexander making his sole save at the death, superb it was too as he got down excellently at his left post to stop a powerful Collins header that would have asked questions had it gone in. Rhys Weston got closer to a 2 match ban with an undeserved booking as he lined to take a throw that gave it to Kav, the ref deemed it time-wasting.
Lennie even found time to take Earnie off but had the sense to replace like-for-like, Bowen playing a central forward role in the brief time remaining rather than disrupt his defenders.
City haven't had successive victories since mid-November but in sealing their 8th away win of the season, back to back wins on the road were very welcome. It's a run that needs to continue when City face up to more major strugglers in Stockport at Edgeley Park this weekend.
I'm sure most fans will still have guarded optimism as Vale were worse than ordinary, it was hard to gauge exactly how good City were. We played very well and were always composed but there was hardly any danger from the home team. However as we celebrated City winning away and Crewe losing at home with every player coming to applaud us at final whistle, who cared? I can settle for that feeling for the rest of this season!
Report from FootyMad
Cardiff looked strong for the first 20 minutes with flowing attacks involving tight passing but they could not hit the back of the net even when the ball fell to Peter Thorne just outside the area - his right-footed half volley rocketed over Dean Delaney's crossbar.
The Bluebirds broke the deadlock in the 35th minute when Graham Kavanagh's free kick on the left curled into a crowded Vale area. Gavin Gordon scored the goal, bundling the ball over the line with his knee to Delaney's right.
Cardiff nearly added to their tally twice in the 45th minute. Kavanagh's 30-yard free kick bounced back off Delaney's right post and Scott Young volleyed onto the crossbar from another Kavanagh corner.
The Valiants eventually began to get into the game after the break and in the 61st minute Marc Bridge-Wilkinson's 20-yard effort flew just past Neil Alexander's right-hand post.
However, Lennie Lawrence's men put the game out of Vale's reach in the 65th minute when they scored their second.
A devastating corner by Kavanagh found Thorne leaping above his markers to nod the ball into Delaney's bottom left-hand corner from six yards.
Gutted Port Vale manager Brian Horton said after the game: "I thought we gave them too much respect in the first half and we've conceded two goals from set pieces again.
"I don't think we get our fair share of good referees especially when you're down here. We've got to turn it around quickly."
External reports
BBC (inc audio)
Western Mail
South Wales Echo