CARDIFF CITY produced two contrasting winnings halves of football - a first half of their frequent laborious material but a second period of dazzle, magic and flair - to record a comprehensive 2-0 win over Preston North End in the battle of 7th v 6th to propel themselves to 5th spot. Roger Johnson and a Michael Chopra penalty (yep, another penalty!) were the scorers and it could, probably should, have been more as a rampant City made Preston arguably look the poorest visitors to Ninian Park this season.
This was the first of three consecutive tests for the club against leading opponents and with City's record going into the game showing them not having beaten any top half side while not having any bottom half side, they got a monkey off their back and had to do it with Steve McPhail after his ridiculous red card at Swansea for which he issued a public apology. By the game's end, you wondered if City had missed him at all as that 2nd half saw Joe and Rae boss midfield and feed an on fire Paul Parry and an unplayable Wayne Routledge.
The other team developments included Michael Chopra on the bench which enabled Parry's recall. A week long battle successfully overcome with injections for a heel injury was blighted as he was struck down by flu on the eve of the match. Dave Jones intended to use him as a last resort but as Ross McCormack sadly suffered a recurrence of his hamstring injury, Chops got over an hour. And Joe Ledley was proudly made captain and given a harsh intro as he led the team out to warm up but found the rest of his mates has purposely stopped leaving him on the pitch alone.
CITY: Enckleman; McNaughton-Johnson-Gypes-Kennedy; Routledge-Rae-Ledley-Parry; Bothroyd-McCormack. Subs were Heaton-Chopra-Comminges-Purse-Scimeca.
Preston, managed by an Everton team-mate of Dave Jones in Alan Irvine, had been a typical Championship inconsistent side and rather better home than away but arrived in South Wales having passed City in the table and taken the final play-off spot and unbeaten in 5, 3 wins in the last 4 games and unbeaten on their previous three awaydays.
PRESTON: Lonergan; Wallace-Mawene-St. Ledger-Davidson; Chaplow-Sedgwick-McKenna-Jones; Brown-Mellor.
In front of 16,560 fans including barely 300 from Lancashire on a sunny blue skied afternoon, the first period was tedious in the extreme but could have been 1-1 inside 3 minutes as Lillywhites keeper Lonergan scuffed an upfield punt which Bothroyd returned with interest from 35 yards narrowly going wide then Chaplow missed a close range open goal sprawling in the 6 yard box after porkmeister Neil Mellor skinned Mark Kennedy and sent the ball across the face of goal. Mellor redeemed himself in the eyes of City fans by flying off the pitch on his back and landing on the surround in front the Grange side lower grandstand to get the first of several, "you fat b*stard" chants.
Rare humour (which also included an on pitch seagull trying to dispossess Mark Kennedy(!) and flying off with chants to do the ayatollah), largely kept us going in a first half that was poor and restricted to long range efforts only although the best move was City's as Routledge and Parry combined, McCormack nodded perfectly into the path of Bothroyd but he leaned back a touch too much and fired a rising drive over.
All other efforts seemed to be either straight at Lonergan in the Preston goal or wide of target as City lacked cohesion or creativity. Gavin Rae seemed to want to do a Steve McPhail impression which included backwards and sideways passing and coming back too deep to get the ball from the back four. Up front, Jay Bothroyd was all ineffectual flicks and sitting on the floor any time someone was near him while it was curious as Paul Parry and Ross McCormack confused the hell out of me and it was obvious from their continual gestures and communication that they were confusing themselves too in swapping roles every couple of minutes alternating who played up front and who played left mid.
A bizarre tactic but it altered just after 25 minutes as McCormack signaled to the bench that he had a problem but while waiting to get off, Premiership ref Andy D'Urso had a big moment as Davidson brought down Routledge from behind as he was away after the Preston keeper made another big error. He was the last man but very wide, the crowd bayed for a red card but it was yellow as Chops replaced Ross 10 minutes before the interval.City's balls into the box were poor quality and made afro haired Mawene look a world beater as he won header after header after header but it was meat and drink for him, he barely faced a challenge.
That changed three minutes before the interval as Davidson gave away a free-kick for a silly handball, some asking for another yellow, Preston loaded their penalty box with 8 men across their 6 yard line but Routledge's outswinger away from them was perfect and there was ROGER JOHNSON to nod past a static helpless Lonergan. It was, surprisingly, only his second of the season, his last coming on opening day.
Half-time: CITY 1 PRESTON 0
Talk about a game of two halves. Maybe City thought they had earned their right to play and were too good for their opponents but instead of grinding out a victory having earned the lead, which is often their 'style', they returned with added pace, adventure and class and treated us to the best 45 minutes of home football in a which made Preston, already looking one-paced, less than one dimensional in the process.
They were outclassed and toyed with at times. They could have doubled their lead almost instantly as Paul Parry - whom many of us were grumbling about (or worse!) at half-time - returned a different player and for the first time all season looked like the Paul Parry we know and love, welcome back Paul! He took Preston's right side defence apart with searing pace and flair, a cross was perfect for Jay Bothroyd. I still don't know how he missed it.
Preston then produced their only notable shot at Enckleman all game as Ross Wallace, along with Chops one of 13(!) players loaned out by Roy Keane before he all too predictably walked out on Sunderland this week, got behind City's defence at an angle but Enks stood tall and blocked his effort well but City were now more rampant than an Anne Summer rabbit and Paul Parry was skinning defenders for fun, one superb cross saw Bothroyd's measured header smack off a post with Lonergan well beaten and another low one produce a very well placed low angled shot by Rae who was only denied by a superb full stretch save.Mark Kennedy had to be replaced by Comminges but we were now being treated to some exhilarating football with City showboating and touches as if they were leading 4-0 instead of just the 1.
It was worth the entrance money to watch Wayne Routledge produce the kind of magic that David Blaine, David Copperfield and Paul Daniels combined couldn't live with. Whether it was his keepy uppy deep in defence to beat two men, his dribbling and side steps going inside and outside player after player who were made to look like static cones on a training ground or his audacious cross using his left leg coming around his standing leg that Bothroyd just missed converting with a near post header, he was unplayable and majestic. Preston doubled up on him, sometimes trebled up, but he always seemed to skip past them. He could have his own Showboating section on next week's Soccer AM.
It inspired others as Rae and Ledley were buzzing in centre mid, Bothroyd showed he has quick feet for a big man by skipping past players and Chops was at it too and the team collectively looked for every opportunity to feed the two on-fire wide men.
With 15 to go, Preston unleashed 'The Beast', 6'4" man mountain Jon Parkin who looks as if he should be playing the egg shaped game instead. He must be a 'mare to come up against and it was funny to see how Gypes left him for Roger Johnson and both for Kevin McNaughton one time but our centre halves were in imperious form today. Preston never offered much but the boys at the back never allowed them to either.
Parkin had only been on for a minute when it was game over. City's second half trickery finally paid off as a smart flowing move saw Bothroyd once again dancing around players with his quick feet and once in the box, Mawene lunged and caught him for the most obvious penalty of City's incredible 11th penalty of the season and we're still not halfway through it. CHOPRA cooly covnerted stroking the ball one side while Lonergan dived the other.
The Beast entertained us as he was denied an edge of area free-kick then berated the ref and barged a couple of City men in frustration but City entertained even more as so nearly made it more comprehensive as a delightful move saw Chops denied a second when through on goal but a smart Lonergan stop then Riccy Scimeca, on as a last minute change for Bothroyd and getting a big ovation, freed Parry on the break but his cross cum shot ended up being neither.
What a difference a half makes. A dour leading first half with plenty to grumble about became a fanastic win with endless aspects to be happy about as it was achieved with some thrilling football that hopefully sets them up perfectly for two major 'on the road' tests in the coming week at 4th placed Burnley on Tuesday followed by an Ipswich side currently 13th but who will jump to 8th should they win their Sunday game in hand.
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