Hat-Trick!!!
3 consecutive victories, 3 consective clean sheets and 3 successive winners by the Ginger Rooney that is Chrissie Burke.
What an incredible week with 9 points in 8 days and taking the scalps of two of last season's Premiership outifts on their own patch as Cardiff City followed Tuesday's magnificent win at West Brom with an equally fantastic victory at Middlebrough in front of live Sky tv cameras in a Sunday lunchtime kick-off.
Chris Burke is proving the talisman grabbing a somewhat fortunate winner today as his 40 yard free-kick from the touchline was in the ideal spot but evaded everyone, bounced and flew insuide the far post past a startled Boro keeper named Jones. Lovely aye.
Boro huffed and puffed but City's teamwork and commitment was supreme throughout. That's three dogged victories showing a character that was absent in games beforehand. It really does baffle at times.
Going into last weekend with 4 successive defeats and a tough programme ahead, many of us were expected to see City off the pace and maybe set back in mid-table but tonight, they stand proudly in 3rd.
City made one changes from the side that triumphed at West Brom as Joe Ledley's midweek scan revealed no worse damage to his ongoing hip problem. CARDIFF CITY: Marshall; Quinn-Hudson-Gerrard-McNaughton; Burke-Ledley-Rae-Whittingham; Chopra-Bothroyd Subs: Enckleman,Kennedy,McCormack,Etuhu,Taiwo,Matthews,Scimeca,Wildig
Middlesbrough are in a sorry state at present. They were one point of the top of the Championship when Gareth Southgate was sacked after a home win almost 2 months ago. Now that gap is 17 points as they stand 11th having taken just 6 points, with 1 win, out of 24 under dubious new boss Gordan Strachan.
For the 2nd successive home game, his side were booed off the park by their fans, understandable given this was their 6th home defeat out of 11 this season. Indeed, they have scored just 8 times at the Riverside and this game saw their lowest ever league crowd at their latest home, just 17,200 which included about 400 Bluebirds. Many reckon the 'real' corwd was nearer 14,500 too as a mass of season ticket holders just didn't bother. They seem to have the players and squad to do far better but, realistically, automatics are looking out of the question and they need to focus on getting into the play-offs.
City fans, myself included, will forever recall last time there with an amazing F.A. Cup Final quarter-final win with Boro then in the Premiership that took us onto tw0 Wembley visits and a Final appearence in 2008 but this was the first league encounter between the sides for almost 25 years. Cardiff won for the first time in the league at West Brom in 8 visits and over 50 years in the week, this was the was league win at Boro in 9 attempts and 41 years.
Boro: Jones; Williams-Pogatetz-St. Ledger-Williams-McMahon; Yeates-Wheater-Osborne-Johnson; Bent-Kitson.
Plenty of Premier scouts were present to watch wide talent Adam Johnson while Marcus Bent, who agreed a deal with Cardiff last summer then fled to Birmingham (a lucky escape for us!) was preferred up front to Leroy Lita.
The first half was entertaining and at high tempo with David Marshall doing very well making 2 great saves to deny Wheater early and the tricky Yeates with an excellent free-kick but Cardiff gave as good as they got with Rae, Bothroyd and Chopra firing just wide or over and The Bluebirds are looking dangerous on the counter-attack.
Middlesbrough had more of the ball, and did all game, but just about everything they did was in front of our defence and, much of the time, our midfield too as Cardiff looked more solid and better organised than than sometimes do. It was a supreme team effort.
A blow for Cardiff came just past the half hour as Cardiff's and the Championship's leading scorer Peter Whittingham pulled up with a groin strain to be replaced by Kelvin Etuhu.
Half-time: Boro 0 City 0
The half started with another blow to Cardiff as Kevin McNaughton was unable to continue, the tricky Adam Johnson had caused him all sorts of problems so on came Adam Matthews who acquitted himself very well but had similar problems at times.
The game didn't appear to have goals in it and always looked likely to be settled by a moment of quality by a key player or a mistake.
That duly arrived on 61 minutes as Cardiff won a free-kick some 40 yards out and wide. CHRIS BURKE whipped in towards the far post, players jostled but nobody could get to it, the ball took one bounce and flew in with Boro's Brad Jones made to look silly between the sticks.
Boro almost replied instantly with an amazing scramble that saw the ball hit Marhsall's bar then get cleared off the line twice with subsequent shots but moments after that, Adam Johnson pulled up with a hamstring problem after 'skinning' Matthews and their threat had gone.
The home side applied pressure but Cardiff stood firm and never looked like being breached although Lita stabbed one effort wide. At the other end, City threatened to add another with Chops having a shot cleared off the line after the keeper made another howler and Chris Burke single-handedly taking the game to Boro. Cardiff's player of the season to date and by a country mile too.
Cardiff now stand 3rd just two points of the automatic spots although West Brom play a game in hand tomorrow. They've also suddenly bought themselves a 5 point cushion off the play-off chasers. One truly brilliant week for Cardiff City, its players and supporters ... long may it continue.
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