That's got the puns out of the way early!!
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test so far this season. City felt good after competing really well at Spurs in midweek Worthington Cup action. The narrow loss was no bad thing in a season where only promotion matters. Wigan were buoyed too however having convincingly overcome Premier League West Brom in the same competition. Wigan's incentive to beat City would be to overtake us and probably go the Top of the League themselves.
JJB is a hugely impressive stadium and a glimpse into our future except the new 'Ninian' will be better of course. At 25,000 all seater capacity, no obstructed views, bars, large catering stands and bookmakers, it deserves football at a higher level.
Problem is, Wigan just don't have the support to match it. Today's crowd of just over 8,000, meaning the stadium was less than one third full, was comfortably their largest home league crowd for nearly 2 years and it needed 1,500 City fans to do that!!
While the sparsely populated stadium doesn't help the atmosphere on the pitch, it was a different story on the field. The pitch, in excellent condition, despite a Rugby League game on it the previous evening hosted a high intensity, full blooded passionate affair and City weren't having the best of it. The game was almost won and lost due to a very strange tactical decision by Lennie Lawrence but the performances of many was a major problem too.
Whatever the imbalance with the lopsided 4-4-2 system, it had produced results, given City a better look and shape. Crucially, the players are happy with it too, some noticeably performing better. So just what possessed Lennie to go back to 4-3-3, dropping Leggy to the bench and giving Leo a start in a left wing type role???
A fired up Wigan exploited the gap in our midfield and drove at us from kick-off. They looked a yard faster as they imposed themselves but City held firm, the main scare being a shot stabbed wide by Nathan 'Duke' Ellington, hat-trick hero of their midweek cup win in response to City's opening chance, Gary Croft, who had a great game, fired high and wide as he met a nodded down cross.
Spencer Prior looked uncomfortable settling against Wigan's urgent, pacy attacks at the start and was spoken to on two occasions before being booked for a late tackle by Premier ref, Eddie Wolstenholme, a Lancashire resident curiously refereeing City away in Lancashire for the 2nd time this season. It could only happen to us.
Cardiff fans, realising City were under the cosh, were quieter than usual but perked up when Earnie took the ball in midfield and went on a mazy run before being upended on the edge of the area. Graham Kavanagh's excellent free-kick over the wall and falling inside a post was matched by an excellent save from the experienced John Filan. But 60 seconds later, City were ahead.
The goal started simply as City advanced down the left wing and Gary Croft hit a high ball towards the area, Kav nodded on and the rest was pure ROB EARNSHAW class as he flicked the ball over his shoulder and ahead of himself, spun and hit a superb rising shot past Filan and high into the net. City fans went mental particularly those of us who backed Earnie at 5/1 for the first goal at the away end bookies. Thanks Earnie - it paid for my day out!! Earnie celebrated in his customary manner - later described by the insane Stuart "It's A Knockout" Hall on Radio Five Live as a double somersault followed by a pike.
Thoughts that City would now settle down and show their style disintegrated almost instantly as City fans went from chanting "We are top of the league" to Wigan fans chanting "you're not singing anymore" as Wigan grabbed two in two minutes to take the lead just 9 minutes after Earnie's goal.
You had to admire their first goal, pure quality, but it highlighted City's formation deficiencies as Wigan started the move on the very edge of the penalty area and involved 5 or 6 of their players in a passing movement that started on their right, swept left and finished superbly as ex-Wrexham striker Neil Roberts dummied the ball to leave TONY DINNING take a touch and hit an unstoppable rising volley past the startled Neil Alexander on 26 minutes.
We would have purred about that as a Goal of the Season if City had scored it, instead, we wondered why no City player got near the ball in the whole move - that's football.
Thing went from bad to worse as Wigan stunned us by taking the lead on 28 minutes as City's defenders went totally AWOL, it was dreadful play as Wigan again cut in from City's right and a low ball left Tony Dinning with a free shot at goal, Neil Alexander saved, Dinning got the rebound as City's defenders were motionless, Alexander denied him again but this time the ball moved across goal and ELLINGTON, totally unmarked too, fired home low from close range with City in tatters.
Wigan were hot, the game was intense, pace was manic and with nobody in the City team putting their foot on the ball or slowing the game down, we were playing into the home teams hands. At times, City looked like the proverbial headless chickens as they were badly out of shape with players charging everywhere in the heat of the battle. It could have got worse.
Gabbidon, having an uncharacteristically poor game, was booked for a late challenge on Roberts as City wilted under pressure and they really should have gone further behind as a left side cross presented Ellington with a free header at goal, more shambolic defending, but he mis-controlled it and the ball went wide.
City needed half-time to sort themselves out but missed an outstanding opportunity themselves from their best move of the match as Kav inspired a move through midfield, a Thorne flick took him clear of Wigan's central defenders but his finish was awful as he fluffed the ball wide on the edge of the area.
City's midfield and defenders had experienced a torrid opening 45 minutes, Leo was anonymous as the ball rarely came his way but he was wasted in a left wing type role and Thorne/Earnie being forced to feed on scraps.
Half-Time: WIGAN 2 CITY 1
Lennie responded to the problems before him not by altering the formation significantly but by swapping Leo and Andy Campbell, it was baffling. Wigan responded by carrying on exactly the same way and City seemed powerless to stop them.
A recent, valid criticism of City is that they have failed to kill off games when they were totally in control, this was the first time that we were grateful the opposition couldn't do it to us.
Cardiff were on the back foot, a combination of good and bad defending, Neil Alexander and wasted opportunities somehow kept the score at 2-1.
Roberts wasted an opening by firing over the bar, Prior blocked some goal bound efforts then Gabbidon, looking casual all afternoon, slipped on the ball on the edge of City's area, Roberts bring the best out of Scotland's No 1 who pushed away at full stretch. Why are City players always slipping about, especially our defenders? It happens too often. Is it bad luck or do we have the wrong studs?
Still, Wigan pushed on. Alexander saved a certain goal yet again as a pass was placed inside Rhys Weston, McMillan with clear sight of goal drove well but Alexander beat the ball away. It was becoming embarrassingly one-sided and very ominous. At this stage, Cardiff players were looking a tired bunch and you were seriously doubting whether there was any way back.
On 63 minutes, City made an enforced change as Rhys Weston limped off with Chris Barker covering the left whilst the excellent Gary Croft switched to the right. A rare City attack ended as Kav fired a free-kick well over the bar to jeers from City fans and cheers from Wigan's.
Kav was enduring a poor personal game along with Boland and Whalley in City's over-exposed midfield. Any of them could have been replaced by Layton Maxwell but it was Kav who departed on 76 minutes, not long after Alexander made yet another save from a Wigan forward with clear sight of goal.
The change, time running out, Wigan sitting back a little (Cardiff City like) and, probably, City unable to believe their luck that they still had a chance of a result seemed to galvanise to find the resources and energy to finish strongly. Layton Maxwell seemed to be the source to fire City as he showed high energy to chase, harry, push City forward and also put in a couple of crunching tackles.
The goal didn't look like coming as Thorne was just denied from reaching an excellent Spencer Prior cross, Willie Boland was denied as he shaped to shoot then City hearts sank as Gary Croft found Peter Thorne with a perfect cross and his powered header flew wide when he should have hit goal.
It seemed that Unlucky 13 was about to strike as City attempted to go 13 away league games unbeaten (ironically since they lost 4-0 at Wigan in February which brought about the demise of Alan Cork - so it wasn't all bad!!) but promotion and Championship teams are those who get results on bad days and fight to the end. Last season, we would have been hammered playing like this and today, we showed the heart and commitment to grab a point against all the odds. You have to credit the team for it.
With just 5 minutes remaining, Gary Croft got forward on the right wing again, this time firing a deeper, higher cross. Peter Throne got onto it and nodded superbly towards goal and, from nowhere, in nipped EARNIE to turn home from 5 yards with Filan watching helpless.
It was pandemonium in the City end, we struck lucky and we knew it but it was a draw to be savoured and celebrated. Make no mistake - we did! The team were sung home to the draw, Maxwell and Boland literally fighting for the cause to ensure it was achieved. Unbelievably, City almost nicked an improbable win as Whalley jinked past a couple of defenders and Earnie ran clear towards goal but was flagged offside. And that was it.
A dramatic game in many was, a traumatic afternoon for City's players and fans but the reward of a draw would have been gratefully accepted by everyone before the game and that was what we had. Fantastic stuff.
Although City have lost only once this season and average more than 2 points per game are no longer Top of the League, the baton currently lies with Oldham beaten on their home turf by us on opening day. Maybe that's why we've developed so much this term - we lost away to most of the top performing sides last season, it doesn't happen anymore.
Bcak on our coach, after local police seemed to be contributing to problems outside by tangling with City fans for no good reason, Stuart Hall bristled with excitement on Five Live declaring the gam a classic and observing that City fully deserved their draw, praising the way they played their football. He's old and senile, isn't he?
The journey home was worth a mention becuase from Monouth to Newport, we raced against the team coach. Only City's management and Earnie acknowledged us, Weston looked as though he was wearing industrial goggles in his card game with Earnie and Kav rather than fashion statement glasses. I just hope we didn't put the players out their suppers and late night drinks too much as we mass mooned to them for ignoring us!!
Keep the Faith and Bring on Wycombe!!
Report from FootyMad
Wigan were left regretting a host of missed chances in a pulsating top of the table clash against Cardiff at the JJB Stadium.
The game showed all that is best in Nationwide Division Two football but Latics boss Paul Jewell will be complaining with some justification that his team squandered three points with victory in their sights.
Cardiff striker Robert Earnshaw equalised for the visitors with just five minutes left to claim his second goal of the game after the home side had squandered a host of chances.
Earnshaw gave Cardiff a first-half lead before goals from Tony Dinning and Nathan Ellington put Wigan in front and the home side then proceeded to miss chance after chance to put the game beyond Cardiff's reach.
Ellington, Neil Roberts and Gary Teale also shot either wide or had efforts saved by Cardiff keeper Neil Alexander before Earnshaw made them pay for their generosity.
The draw allows Oldham Athletic, who won at Swindon Town today, to move to the top of the Nationwide Division Two table.
Cardiff City are now second, although they have still only lost one League game all season, while Paul Jewell's Latics are just one place and one point below the Bluebirds.
Although QPR and Oldham remain in contention for an automatic promotion spot with over a quarter of the season gone, it would surprise few people if Wigan and Cardiff secured their place in the first division for next season come May 2003
External match reports
The Football Echo
The Guardian
The Manchester Evening News
BBC Wales (inc audio)