Cardiff City 1 – 0 Bristol City……….. Robins out on instantly forgettable night
By From My Seat…
By Sean Beynon
Critics of the world’s oldest football competition believe the magic of the FA Cup has faded in recent years. Yesterday’s third round replay, which saw Cardiff progress to the fourth round at the expense of Bristol City, was further evidence for the file.
Less than 7,000 fans saw a desperately poor game which, despite the fierce rivalry between the two clubs, failed to inspire on or off the pitch. For City, it is the eighth time in nine years that they have failed to progress beyond the third round.
In some ways, it was fitting that the only goal that separated the sides was Bradley Orr’s 76th-minute own goal. The right-back could do nothing as Michael Chopra’s shot ricoched onto his knee from the post. Dean Gerken could only watch and the game was settled in a manner which suited the tie. From one-up, Cardiff could have gone on to score two or three more, as Chopra continued to cause problems from the City defence.
Chopra’s introduction, midway into the first half, bought some life into the game. Cardiff’s top-scorer started the season with a flurry of goals, but has been off the boil of late. He showed glimpses of his early-season form as soon as he replaced the injured Aaron Wildig. First, Chopra found away behind City’s back line, only for Gerken to smother the effort with his legs. Minutes later, a sublime piece of skill saw the 26-year-old flick the ball past Louis Carey, and fire a volley just over.
Above all, the mood surrounding the game seemed strangely apathetic. Neither side made any impression in the early stages, efforts from Ross McCormack and Peter Whittingham did at least remind Gerken that there was a game on. At the other end, City’s best chance of the half came from makeshift left midfielder Jamie McCallister. Orr found him in the box with a pin-point long delivery which the Scot controlled well. With the goal beckoning, McCallister badly skewed the shot over from his unfavoured right foot.
The second half began in a similar soporific vein, and the game looked destined for extra time and penalties. With a congested fixture list already, neither side wanted that. Johnson made changes up front, with Nicky Maynard and Evander Sno — who had shown some promise sitting just behind the lone striker — being replaced by Alvaro Saborio and John Akinde.
Akinde’s performance was the most encouraging of the night from the Robins. The big striker, who has recently returned from a loan spell at Wycombe, looked like causing Cardiff trouble from the moment he came on. He may be powerful in the air, but it is with the ball at feet that he is at his most impressive. With striking similarities to former City striker Dele Adebola, Akinde is confident in possession, and used both technique and strength to battle past Cardiff defenders who would not have expected such an assured touch to go hand-in-hand with his stature.
Ultimately, City’s chances of scoring looked about as likely as an announcement that Gary Neville was to become president of the Carlos Tevez fan club. It wasn’t that they were especially poor or outclassed, more that there was simply no end product. City did, on occasion, play some decent football and Cole Skuse, in particular, ran his socks off. Nobody had a dreadful game, although the increasingly erratic kicking of Gerken — including on one occasion while he was closer to the corner flag than his penalty area — will be of some concern to Johnson.
With the distinct lack of quality football on display, it was no surprise that Chopra, who looked a class above all evening, played a key role in the goal. He broke away after getting on the end of Anthony Gerrard’s speculative long ball. Left one-on-one with the keeper, Chopra just missed the target, striking Gerken’s far post. Orr had made desperate strides to get back, and cannot be blamed for the own goal that followed.
Chopra continued to run City ragged, and should have put the game out of site on a number of occasions. Had his vision been matched with more quality finishing, the scoreline could have been embarrassing for City. McCormack went close too, blasting an effort against the cross-bar from distance.
City never looked like getting back into the game, and failed to trouble Cardiff keeper David Marshall in the closing stages.
Cardiff and City lock horns for the third time in two weeks next Tuesday, as the Bluebirds visit Ashton Gate for an important Championship fixture. The home side will likely include versatile winger Jamal Campbell-Ryce, captured yesterday from Barnsley, in their squad. Three points for City on Tuesday will swiftly erase the memory of an already forgettable performance.
Your Comments