Saturday, April 19, 2008

CHAMPIONSHIP MATCH REPORT: SCUNTHORPE UNITED 3 CARDIFF CITY 2

Cardiff City's last flickers of the play-offs were all bar extinguished with a shock 3-2 defeat at already relegated Scunthorpe United ending a 10 match unbeaten run and leaving City to wind the season down in readiness for the F.A. Cup final next month.

As is now custom, Dave Jones made changes but mainly to accommodate players available after injury. No sign of Paul Parry but back were Glen Loovens, Joe Ledley and Jimmy Floyd-Hasselbaink. Scunnie made changes too with one eye on League One next season.

The game was poor quality and quite unremarkable, typical end of season fayre by all accounts, with all the real drama taking place either side of half-time at in the final moments.

A poor first half, Scunnie started brightly, City responded with Ledley, Ramsey and Loovens (twice) going close but in added time, Rae and Ledley linked, HASSELBAINK finished superbly for his 9th of the season but his first league goal for two and a half months since netting at Stoke.

In that Stoke game, Hasselbaink missed chances to have scored more and won the game for Cardiff and lightning struck twice as he missed two sitters at the start of the second half, one coming off the inside of a post when it was easier to score.

Cardiff were rocked and made to pay for their lax low intensity attitude as they dramtically conceded two goals in three second half minutes to be 2-1 behind on 56, both goals the result of uncharacteristically poor defending.

HAYES flicked home a corner unchallenged from close range and then, caught playing offside, Hayes turned provider to find HURST to rifle home. This was the first time Peter Enckleman conceded more than 1 goals since joining City and it came at a point when he looked set for another clean sheet.

However The Iron could only hold their lead for 3 minutes as JOE LEDLEY thundered,home a low edge of area drive to send the 600+ travelling Bluebirds into joy. With half hour left, City looked set to go on and win it but despite pressure, possession and territory, Cardiff struggled to make any in-roads with the lack of pace and likeness of Thommo and Hasselbaink particularly ineffective.

Jones made changes - Whittingham for Hasslebaink with Ramsey advanced - then Sinclair for McNaughton before they were caught by a sucker punch deep in added time as they pushed forward knowing a win was the only good result. Scunnie soaked it up, broke and full back Williams was upended in the box by Loovens, HAYES smashing home the penalty for the winner and his second of the game but only his fifth of the campaign.

Not everyone will see it this way but I felt it was a relief. I didn't want Cardiff City busting a gut with too small a squad for an outside chance of the play-offs.To have gone full tilt for another 3 games and then 2 play-off matches in the week before the Cup Final for a chance of going back to Wembley the week after would have been too much. And let's be honest, in our current shape, we'd be embarrassing in the Premiership right now.Now we can hopefully pick up results but not overly risk players who aren't 100%, ease back Parry and then go for it May 17th.We can try again for the play-offs next year, we'll never have another go in a F.A. Cup final in our lifetimes.

I'll take that glory of the two anyday.

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