CARDIFF CITY 6 CREWE ALEXANDRA 1

Dave Jones' Bluebird flew to a new high on a glorious day. In a season greatly surpassing expectations, Crewe Alexandra's Railwaymen were duly shunted into the sidings 6-1 by six different goalscorers. Five of those goals came in 26 second half minutes to make it City's best win at this level for 34 years, almost to the day, matching a same score demolition of Charlton Athletic on October 23rd, 1971.

DJ, as the old age goes, could do with dispensing his half-time rollicking before kick off. Yet again, his team started well and scored early only to, yet again, lose their pace and intensity somehow allowing Crewe to equalise before the interval and take over the game for a spell despite their glaring inadequacies. How much paint peeled off City's dressing room walls, how many cups were smashed, we can only guess but it was worth every penny.

It's been a big week for the club. News that the new stadium may finally be reality (but don't get carried away yet) followed by this win lifting City to 7th spot with a game in hand that could take them to 4th. These are heady days, near fairytale stuff considering the black summer that enveloped Ninian Park.

DJ is certainly earning his money but one area where he doesn't spend much time is current team selection. For the 7th time in 8 games, City started with the same eleven of Alexander, Weston-Purse-Loovens-Barker, Cooper-Whitley-Ledley-Koumas, Ricketts-Jerome. The bench were Margetson-Ardley-Cox-Lee-Parry.

As mentioned before, the only time the mould was broken - Jeff Whitley's one game suspension - was the only game City have lost in 12 matches. His line-up staying fit and available is crucial, City have a small squad with barely adequate cover. The biggest concern pre-game was Cameron Jerome who departed early with back injury from the midweek Preston draw. Fortunately, a scan gave him the 'all clear'.

Dario Gradi MBE seems to have been at Crewe longer than their train station.63 years old, an amazing 22 years in charge of the club this week and 1,148 Railwaymen games under the belt, he will need every ounce of his experience plus, it would seem, a fair bit of luck besides to retain Championship status.

Crewe's most loyal fan probably wouldn't argue that they are a small club, a talent breeder who should view just being able to compete in the Championship as a great achievement. However, no matter where you are and who you support, it's always a results business and Crewe's are just not good. They had a miracle escape against relegation on last season's final day managing to win for the first time in 4 months and 22 games to send Gillingham down instead. It's now "improved" to 3 wins in 37 Championship games, this season's tally of 12 points from 15 games leaves only Millwall below them.

They are taking sound beatings - 6 of the season's league games have been lost by 2 more goals. The Railwaymen will also prefer to forget a 5-1 thrashing at Lincoln in the Carling Cup too. It's therefore easy to understand why their normally placid support are unhappy and why many are actively considering that it's time for a change.

Gradi's lot isn't helped by injuries to his meagre squad. After a 2-0 midweek loss to neighbours Stoke, he was also keen to make changes. Another midweek decision was for the club to send Juan Ugarte back to Wrexham, albeit on loan, having made just one start and not looking fit. To think, Ugarte was Lennie Lawrence's major target for City. Where would we be now if we'd not made managerial change? I dread to think.

Gradi's lambs for the Crewe-l sheepsh*gger's slaughter were Williams, Moss-Foster-McCready-Tonkin, Jones-Roberts-Lunt-Varney, Rivers-Suhaj. Keeper Williams is on loan from Man United whilst every other player came through their youth academy or were bought from lower division clubs apart from Slovakian striker Pavol Suhaj who was getting his first starting appearance. Surprisingly, the highly promising Welsh international David Vaughan was on the bench having been rested for last weekend's big win over Luton and then taken off against Stoke in midweek.

After a stormy Friday, it was a mild Autumnal day with the sun shining most of the afternoon. The shame was despite the good stadium news, despite the unbeaten run and despite the league position, fans still aren't returning to Ninian Park, just 10,815 handed over their hard-earned. There are good reasons for this disappointing crowd, there are understandable justifications and there certainly are poor excuses too.

Surely, though, there can't be too much argument that this manager and this team deserve better support? It amazes me to think that at least three thousand more of us watched the safety first, tactically limited, mind numbing, under-performing excuse ridden football that Lennie Lawrence provided. In fact, it defies belief fans committed to that but won't watch this.

City started on the front foot, full of intent and purpose and went for Crewe's back four already looking uneasy and decidedly dodgy. In the first quarter of an hour, Jerome (twice), Ricketts, Ledley all went narrowly wide while Jason Koumas tested Willaims with a 30 yard free-kick, the keeper spilling it but recovering before Jerome got to the rebound. Other crosses and passes pinged in and around the Crewe box and they couldn't get over halfway.

Red shirted Crewe were red faced as well by the way they conceded the opener. Joe Ledley threaded a ball from halfway that Foster and McCready both went for it but bumped into each other and leave MICHAEL RICKETTS clear on goal with the sort of chance he loves - one where he doesn't have to move that much. His finish was excellent though, firing low around Williams from just inside the box for his 4th goal in 8 appearances, all netted at Ninian Park.

Suhaj the Slovakian had some introduction to British football. Having just got back on the pitch taking a knock as City started the move for their opener, he took a powerful Cooper follow up drive after Koumas' free-kick where it makes your eyes water. It took him and Crewe's physio a long time to count that he still had two.

The goal should have set up City but inexplicably, they stopped pushing on, took their foot of the pedal and went flat, it is annoying when they do this. Suddenly, Crewe were able to play around and through City as we fell deep and stopped putting in the challenges. Why do they do this to themselves?

Their lackadaisical ways cost them. Varney put one header over, made Alexander save another, Purse was booked and then they levelled on half hour. A soft goal as Loovens fouled out wide, a free kick was sent into the box which centre-half FOSTER helped on almost unchallenged and the ball flew in off the underside of the bar.

The rest of the half belonged to Crewe. You could see they were limited but as City fell further into their shell, they clearly fancied their chances. However City still made tow good chances as Jerome headed a fraction wide and Ricketts had an effort blocked. Overall, however, the interval score was about right but Cardiff had only themselves to blame and would have deserved every single rocket of the half-time volley Dave Jones must have unleashed on them.

Half-time: CARDIFF CITY 1 CREWE ALEXANDRA 1

The half-time entertainment again saw everyone miss. The biggest laugh was one 'fan' in a Chelsea shirt hopelessly kick the ball. Am I still the only one to do it? How do they make it look so difficult?

As the teams came back out, there were two sights to worry all City fans. Neil Cox was coming on for City, Glen Loovens having suffered an early knock whilst David Vaughan was stepping out as a sub for Crewe.

However minutes 47 to 72 were Cardiff City football heaven as everything they did came off and Crewe were exposed for what they were as City hit top gear and in such impressive fashion.

47 minutes 2-1
Cameron Jerome burst down the right and evaded three defenders before slipping the ball wide to Michael Ricketts. Ricketts has time and space but his cross was fantastic but just as great was JOE LEDLEY meeting it and sending a rising header towards the top corner, Williams got a hand to it but could not prevent Ledley's third goal of the season and his second in successive matches.

58 minutes - the let off
After Jerome sent a couple of efforts narrowly wide with Crewe unable to contain him, Mark Rivers beat the offside trap because he was well offside but the officials let it go. Alexander was slow to come out and it looked a certain goal but Alexander got down to save well and got the lucky break as Suhaj's follow up header flew into his grateful arms while still on the floor.

60 minutes 3-1
Perhaps the assist of the season as Jason Koumas dissected three Crewe defenders with a perfectly weighted sublime flick off the outside of his right boot which KEVIN COOPER latched onto and flicked the ball over the advancing Williams, it rolled over the line despite a Crewe defender's attempt to stop it. It was his first goal for City rounding off a good individual performance.

65 minutes 4-1
Alan Lee came on for a lively half hour after Cooper's goal replacing Ricketts and made an immediate impact as he turned Foster inside the area meeting the impressive Jeff Whitley's through ball and was clumsily challenged and brought down. The wait for the penalty took an eternity, Crewe trying to disrupt DARREN PURSE but it made no impact as he blasted low to the right, Williams went left. That was Purse's 5th of the season, four coming from the penalty spot.

67 minutes 5-1
Another City goal straight from the restart as CAMERON JEROME finally got the goal he deserved. Again, Whitley was the provider with a flicked ball sending Jerome away, he charged into the area, side stepped one challenge and then either mishit his shot over Williams or it took a deflection. Who cared what it was? Jerome's 9th of the season but his first for 4 games makes him joint leading scorer at this level.

72 minutes 6-1
Another outstanding JASON KOUMAS goal, his fifth of the season, everyone brilliant and his third in successive matches. This was all about Koumas as he took the ball 10 yards inside City's half, Crewe stood off him as they had no answer to his skills which yet again were shown to be far too good for this level. As he got closer, he went outside of tow defenders on the left and then switched feet to fire high and home across goal, Williams again getting a hand to it and being unable to keep it out.

How City never scored goals 7, 8 and even 9, I still don't know. Parry was blocked, Lee was just over, Jerome headed just wide and shot just wide, both times I initially though he had scored.

To their credit, Crewe weren't good enough but their heads never dropped. They got forward late on and had half chances but it's going to be a very long season for them. It probably doesn't help them or their fans when they got mocked either. 10,000 fans standing and handclapping 'easy,easy,easy' when it was that can't be nice, hearing City chant 'we want 7' must be tough to take and can they smile when the Grange End jokingly sing, "one all, then you ****ed it up" to them?

Cardiff went off to a standing ovation and rightly so. There were no bad performers today and some - Whitley, Koumas, Jerome in particular in my view - were exceptional. Alan Lee ran Crewe scared in his cameo appearance as well. That's not to say City were perfect by a long way but when you have days like this, you just have to enjoy it all and I certainly did.

Credit to Crewe, their management, players and fans. After such a terrible afternoon when they were comprehensively outplayed and thrashed, they still acknowledged and applauded each other. A club which behaves like that deserves their breaks.

22 points may mean 7th but it also means we are 10 points away from the bottom. It took Lennie, Kav, Gabbs, Ginge and co until Boxing Day last season and 10 games more to replicate that.

The pubs of Canton were singing and buzzing post-game. For all the progress and success this season, it strangely hasn't quite had that feelgood factor about it for many supporters. Today changed all that. And for those of us celebrating away, how funny was it watching the bus and the people carrier man with the whale of a wife have a stand off in the middle of Cowbridge Road bringing it to a complete standstill with a City steward trying to sort out the traffic whilst we chanted at them all?

A wonderful, wonderful day or as Lord Lou Reed would say;

Just a perfect day
Problems all left alone
Weekenders on our own
It's such fun

Oh it's such a perfect day
I'm glad I spent it with you
Oh such a perfect day
You just keep me hanging on


The Cost of Being A City fan:
Ticket: £20
Prog: £ 3
Food/drink £20
Petrol: £ 3
Total £46

Total for season: £1,077