Cardiff City were 6th place with 6 goals scored after 6 games but now it's all the 7's (7 games, 7 goals, 7th place) after a 1-1 draw at Derby County's Pride Park who lie 20th. City remain unbeaten but it's now 5 draws and the only Championship wins this term are against two of the bottom three sides.
Cardiff's lack of cutting edge is undoing all their resolute work in defence and midfield. That resilience borne out as Cardiff fought from behind for the 2nd time this season for their point with mild controversy as officials missed an obvious foul on Steve McPhail as the home side netted their opener and then failed to award City penalty of the game after Ross McCormack levelled matters.
A gorgeous summer day with temperatures hitting the 70's in mid-September pulled in a 29,000+ crowd with 2,000 or so travelling Bluebirds. I didn't make the game but the radio commentary was accompanied by non-stop passionate support from the Cardiff fans as they always provide on the road.
City were, unsurprisingly, unchanged from the side that grabbed 3 points at Barnsley in midweek as they went with Heaton, McNaughton-Purse-Johnson-Comminges, Whittingham-Rae-McPhail-Ledley, Parry-Bothroyd. Subs were Enckleman, McCormack, Gypes, Johnson and Aaron Morris.
Derby are a club trying to arrest a freefall. The worst ever side in the Premiership, they were relegated last season with just 1 win and 11 points. Life has been little better for scruffbag Paul Jewell's side at this level either but, last weekend, they picked up their first league win for a year and followed it with a draw at Swansea City in midweek. Their side was Carroll, Connolly-Albrechtsen-Leacock-Stewart, Barazite- Addison-Green-Pearson, Villa-Hulse
The home side opened strongly but it turned out to be another City game where neither keeper had a fantastic amount of work to do. However as Cardiff weathered the early storm and started imposing themselves by going close with a couple of efforts, they fell behind in controversial style against the run of play. Stephen McPhail was fouled on the edge of the box, the Derby player holding his hand up for his challenge but the ball went into the box and ALBRECHTSEN fired home at the far post from an acute angle. Television evidence is compelling.
Cardiff were quite poor from the goal on the half hour mark until Dave Jones finally made a change with Jay Bothroyd entering the scene just before the hour for Whittingham having another anonymous show and Paul Parry pushed wide from attack. It did the trick as City poured forward but, yet again, failed to create openings and be clinical when they had any sort of chance. Dave Jones' failure to reinvest a reasonable proportion of the £13M netted in player sales and that F.A. Cup run in 2008 is already affecting City and I fear it will continue to.
At the three quarters stage, City levelled it, a smart move sent Joe Ledley away and he was felled from behind. ROSS McCORMACK, for the third time this season, sent the keeper the wrong way in netting his 5th goal for City.
There was only one possible winner at this stage but City couldn't produce the goods although Bothroyd tried but the telling moment came as Eddie Johnson, on as a late sub for McCormack, had a golden opportunity but never looked confident and was denied what Dave Jones claims was another clear penalty.
A reasonable point but it's another big week ahead with that Carling Cup clash at Swansea on Tuesday and a massive home game to 2nd place Birmingham City next weekend.
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