CARDIFF CITY and Chasetown shared the spoils and four goals in Staffordshire tonight in a reserve team friendly but which featured several first team squad members.
Chasetown's Scholars ground is where City's F.A. Cup Final run all started last season and the good relations fostered between the clubs brought about this game, just 4 days before the 2008-2009 Championship season gets underway.
City's side included Peter Enckleman, Darren Dennehy, Riccy Scimeca, Peter Whittingham, Paul Parry and new signing Jay Bothroyd accompanied by mainly Academy players. The game itself started over half hour late at 8:05pm as the glorious M5/M6 motorway caused a considerable delay and late arrival for the Bluebirds team coach.
Bothroyd, who lives little more than 15 minutes from Chasetown, was narrowly wide with a 1st minute shot but it was PAUL PARRY who opened the scoring before 15 minutes with a smart left footed finish. That made him comfortably City's leading scorer in pre-season.
City seemed to be on their way but got sloppy at the back and fell behind to tow goals in as many minutes with a cross missed and a weak Enckleman punch (how many more must we have?) finding the head of a Chasetown man who gratefully nodded back over him. With Dennehy coming in for close verbal scrutiny from Dave Jones, The Bluebirds defence went AWOL as a through ball sent a Chasetown man away to simply shot over the advancing Enckleman.
The half-time whistle blew with Bothroyd limping but he joined Parry, Whittingham and Scimeca in an interval warm down saving themselves for the weekend and City restarted with a fringe squad/Academy line up.
Second half with so many changes saw the game change with Chasetown going close to getting a third a few times and Enckleman yet again having some dodgy moments although Jon Brown was also causing problems up front for City.
Cardiff equalised with 20 to go when an Academy Man (sorry, don't know his name) executed a superb 20 yard drive appreciated by the crowd of just 411 including only 50 or so from the Principality and City almost nicked it at the death with Brown missing by inches.
Now it's time for the serious business ... Southampton at Ninian Park on Saturday, let's have it!
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