MATCH REPORT: CHAMPIONSHIP CARDIFF CITY 2 BRISTOL CITY 1

SATURDAY MARCH 22nd, 2008

CHAMPIONSHIP - Game 38/46 - at NINIAN PARK

CARDIFF CITY (1) 2

Johnson 44, Whittingham 79

BRISTOL CITY (0) 1
Adebola 73

QUE SERA SERA
TRUNDLE'S CRAP, HE'LL ALWAYS BE
WE BEAT THE WURZLES
BEFORE WEMBLEY
QUE SERA SERA

I loves beating The Wurzles I does. Discounting that unforgettable 2003 play-off semi victory and a League Cup 1st leg win (before an Andy Cole hat-trick inspired 2nd leg stuffing),Cardiff City collected their first league triumph since the days of Jimmy Scoular, Brian Clark and Don Murray 37 years and 24 games ago in a fiercely fought, dramatic and high octane Severnside derby with Bristol City at Ninian Park.

City triumphed 2-1 but all the key moments came in an incendiary 10 second half minutes after Roger Johnson superbly headed City into a half-time lead playing into a near gale but then came the mayhem as the Wurzles equalised, then celebrated going ahead before realising their second effort was rightly disallowed. The agony then went to abject despair (and heaven for us!) as, moments later, Peter Whittingham netted a penalty on the rebound (his first attempt was saved) before Brizzle's manager Gary Johnson was sent off all against the backdrop of his Tractor Driving supporters disgracing themselves by getting into fights with City fans in the Family Stand and police and stewards in the Grange End simultaneously. Happy Days indeed!

Dave Jones' new found novelty of making changes and some rotation continued but with the least number of changes in recent times, one was enforced as Thommo replaced the suspended Jimmy Floyd Hasslebaink (Thommo ironically losing his place in City's side after a straight silly red in the corresponding Trashton Gate fixture last December) and Aaron Ramsey on the bench replaced by playing skipper Steve McPhail who was excluded from the 16 who gave Colchester their only point out of 24 due to slight injury.

To the 'delight' of Bluebirds, The Wurzles gave Lee Trundle for a couple of months - well, they couldn't possibly have had him playing his usual sub role warming up in front of the Lower Grandstand boys. In fact, until they attacked towards the Family Stand in the second half, he didn't dare run towards either side of the pitch either. He has certainly shed more than a few pounds but delighted us even more by doing nothing to suggest he was anything more than the proverbial 'big fish in a small pond' in Lower League football who is little more than ordinary at this level and played 90 minutes completely bossed by City's defence - what a waste of money indeed.

The Bluebirds seem to be the only side in the Championship without much to play for (I know, win our games in hand and we're 1 point off the play-offs, yeah yeah) but what does it say about this division that the Wurzles are still in prime position for Premiership promotion, possibly as Champions too, with 6 games to go and a goal difference of just +1 and despite a run seeing them take just 3 points from the last 15.

Meantime, the sides battling to oust them are Stoke, Hull, Plymouth, inconsistent West Brom and the route one hell of Watford - each of them looked hugely unimpressive against Cardiff. Come to think of it, what does that say about us that we're stranded in 13th and mid-table obscurity?? Whatever your thoughts, you can't argue that their likeable boss Gary Johnson, a best mate of Dave Jones, has performed an unbelievable job with a side of no stars. Trundle at £1 Million (yes, they really thought he was worth that) was in fact the only player in the side of Basso, Orr-Carey-Elliott-McAllister, McIndoe-Carle-Vasko-Sproule, Trundle-Adebola that cost a fee.

It was a "bubble" coach only supervised trip for Brizzle Boys and their 1,500 were inside a very busy looking Ninian Park by 2pm while the rest of us were have a pre-game Canton bevvy or generally having a more relaxing experience and pleasantly surprised to see the steel structure of a second stand emerging at the new stadium and a new road opened off the Leckwith by-pass which we had to use to get to the ground. NP Towers looked healthy and so, with that away support added, it was a slight surprise the attendance was announced at 16,458.

City must have lost the toss as they were playing towards the Canton Stand facing a very strong near gale force wind and having difficulty in those conditions while it was somewhat easier for Brizzle to sweep forward. I would gladly have taken a 0-0 half-time score so City actually leading was a significant bonus.

The first period was interesting but unremarkable. Bristol had more of the ball and possession the game's most dangerous moment but found Cardiff resolute and they certainly had more chances and the better ones too. In the opening minutes, Thommo turned and twisted inside the box but his shot was blocked for a corner. From that, Loovens smashed a shot on the full but it shot skyward, was skewed on the stiffest of breezes, cleared the stand and possibly hit an unsuspecting shopper on the bonce in Cowbridge Road! Moments later, Basso reacted fast to smother the ball after it ran loose as Thommo was ready to pounce.

What was surprising was that Bristol seemed unprepared for the tactic of a back post cross, which City superbly executed against Middlesbrough, and they got lucky as Whittingham found Roger Johnson at the back stick but he caught the side netting when he should have put it back across goal, Brizzle didn't learn their lesson. Another escape came when Whittingham passed in space for Thommo, his stabbed goalbound effort was just stopped by Basso.

Bristol eventually carved a chance, the wind playing its full part in that as a ball held up then wafted wide where Adebola got it and sent a whistling low ball across the face of goal, McIndoe missing connection by a fraction. For the remainder of the half, the visitors from over the bridge sent over a number of crosses but City were equal to them and rarely found themselves in trouble. The best moment with that wind though had to be Lee Trundle, getting some fearful abuse although not as severe as at Trashton Gate, trying to look cool and ignoring the calls from Lower Grandstand and gobbing but the wind blew it all straight back across his face. Hilarious, that was my first half highlight!

The most freakish moment with the wind came just after the half hour, Orr's cross from 30 yards curled on the breeze, Johnson and Adebola missed it, the ball continued to arc, bounced and hit the outside of Enckleman's post with the keeper looking unsure of himself but it was Cardiff who finished the half stronger as a good move down the right played in Paul Parry but he fumbled his first touch enough to be closed down so saw his effort blocked. Another attack came to an end as an altogether incompetent refereeing performance blew a while for a Wurzle man who went down with City in a promising position, great to see Roger Johnson tell the boys to contest it - bang on! - when the ref seemed to be indicating to allow a Wurzle to have it to himself and hit it downfield.

It's got to the point where it's almost compulsory to moan about a ref and officials but this one was as bad a as it gets. In the end, he gave poor decisions against both sides but City suffered most, first half especially, with defenders climbing all over Thommo winning free-kicks, balls clearly touched out of play by Bristol players see them awarded the throw, a number of poor challenges go unpunished and good ones get penalised. Fussy, inconsistent, unacceptable - so much for his good points, I won't bother with what was really bad with him.

When City won a free-kick, Ledley caught with one of his trademark classy turns on the touchline, the blue majority cheered as if it were goal, such was the irony of the ref giving us something. Better still, Whittingham swung it beautifully to the far post where Brizzle were nowhere to be seen allowing ROGER JOHNSON to emphatically head home high into the net.

Johnson's 7th of the season made the talisman centre-half puts Roger just behind Hasselbaink (8) and Parry (9) in the relatively lukewarm race for City's leading scorer. Just where would Cardiff have been in the table had we a Earnie, Jerome or Chopra who would have got us 20+?

Half-time: CITY 1 WURZLES 0

Brizzle made a change (Fontaine for Vasko) but you always felt control of the game would swing Cardiff's way and it sure did even if the breeze behind them was quite as helpful as it was to Bristol. However, in what was a continuing theme of a side without a 10+ goal striker in it (let alone a 20+ one), chances were there but not taken or wasted to finish it.

The best of these were a fast move where the ball kindly found its way across the box and Ledley was close but unlucky hooking a high effort over the bar, a killer 3 on 1 break but Rae picked the wrong option in Whittingham right when Joe was far better placed left and then Whitts pass was cut out by the lone defender, great work by Joe who was back in the groove saw Thommo narrowly stab wide under pressure from Vasso and other shots wide or blocked. When Brizzle got forward, Trundle more than met his match in Darcy Blake or just kicked crosses behind which only added fuel to the fire of the venom he was getting.

Then came the most infuriating moment as City were ruled offside at a throw in but this was nothing compared to those mad mad few minutes. Bristol were going nowhere so threw on a third striker in the bald veteran Steve Brooker, recalled from a loan at Cheltenham, for the closing 20 minutes, As usual, City and Dave Jones didn't really react to the change in personnel or tactics. City missed yet another chance to finish it just after that as another Whitts set piece just missed the heads of Loovens and Thommo but reached Paul Parry who failed to connect properly on the stretch and only succeeded in helping the ball to Vasso.

From that, disaster, as Bristol got upfield on City's right, McIndoe sent over what was probably their first cross of the half which Loovens missed and ADEBOLA behind him headed in from 6 yards with Enckleman helpless. The proverbial sucker punch but it showed the character of Bristol to have hung in there when the game wasn't going their way at all. What was weird was the lack of noise, it was greeted by complete silence, even the Bristol fans themselves didn't seem noisy.

5 minutes later, the defining moments arrived. It was surreal to see some City fans in the Family Stand get involved with Wurzles fans in a box, I've never seen trouble there before, but McIndoe sent over a near identical ball into a more crowded box but Brooker got behind City to nod low past Enckleman. Bristol went crazy, Trundle celebrated, Gary Johnson was hugging one of his players and none of them saw the lino (proven to be correct) had flagged offside.

To top it, the Carrot Crunchers in the box were now in more arguing and fighting with Family Standers, stewards and robocops poured in as City attacked superbly on the left, Capaldi and McPhail linked up well, McPhail was caught and penalty thank you very much.

With no obvious penalty taker on th pitch, Peter Whittingham stepped up. I hoped he'd just lash it home but he went for placement and got it wrong as Vasso, praying to God for help, saved his second in as many game but Divine Intervention was on hand for Easter and Vasso was crucified as the ball ran back to WHITTIGNHAM who lashed into the unguarded net with Vasso on the floor. The old football joke, Jesus Saves But (Insert name - this time Whittingham Nets The Rebound, certainly came to life.

Now there was trouble at both ends of the pitch with the box being emptied as the Brizzle fans were evicted at the Family Stand end to waves of cheerio from the kids and the Farmer's Boys were at it the Grange End too, fists clearly swinging at police confronting them. CCTV will sort them out for sure. But the next flash point was in the dugouts as Gary Johnson punched the ball out of the fourth official's hands and was shown to the stands by ref Stroud with cheerio waves from all around the ground this time. 10 minutes that certainly had it all.

The final few minutes were the Aaron Ramsey show as he came on for Whittingham, subbed before the game restarted from his penalty, and who then skipped past, passed around and showed all his class. One flick set up Ledley inside the box, his ball across it was destined for the corner until Vasso produced a truly outstanding save to prevent a bigger defeat. He could only look on however as Ramsey hit a piledriver from 30 yards that missed the goal by the tiniest of fractions.

Four minutes were added, many fans seemed shocked, seeming to forget we'd witnessed a half with two goals scored, one disallowed, 4 subs and a sending off for starters but there was never any question that Bristol would hit back a second time with the crowd happy to sing, "Trundle, Trundle, what's the score?", a few more chants of Wem-ber-lee and a final whistle roar like we'd just won there.

Another superb team effort but questions will be asked about that goal conceded, the midfield duo of Rae and McPhail didn't really shine and the front line of Parry and Thommo playing too far apart and hardly ever linking prevented a more emphatic victory. But who cares for now? We beat The Wurzles and I couldn't be happier!