Snow white for the Severnside wharfs

By: Martyn | January 14th, 2010

favreG1301_468x694 Why the Dickens was this FA Cup 3rd Round tie, a 1-1 draw, allowed to be/go on?! It was lashing down with snow and the ball had its brakes jammed on. Secondly – and albeit only for linguistic comedy’s sake – why did former Latvia coach Gary Johnson neglect to bring on Evander Sno?!

As is tradition, this encounter was pencilled-in for the first Saturday of the new year. (Sir David?) Frost got the better of things on that occasion, thus causing the clash between these Severn Bridge-separated formerly-thriving dock-towns to be re-arranged for Tuesday 12th January.

So then, on a turf that resembled a Frosted Wheat, 22 (handsomely-paid/)brave souls and several men in black grew a pair and did battle. A derby-ish affair, S4C rather randomly decided to screen it live! Having been unable to watch the Bluebirds since Boxing Day (work; birthday; social life; continued seasonal shenanigans; interest in the Italian game; vastly developing interest in the Russian game), I was grateful to catch-up with the side on the pitch. While an unforced hiatus hasn’t necessarily made one’s heart grow fonder (Angola-rivalling collapses in the league, financial worries, and even, erm, pseudo-xenophobia put paid to that), missing several games in succession sure does get annoying.

The weather rendered the game somewhat diluted and structurally alien. The yellow ball (seemingly the ones provided by the sponsor failed to come in orange: this was annoying as it made visibility a challenge) could barely plough its way through the surface, and thus every pass to the goalkeeper was greeted with the sort of theatrics one normally reserves for pantomime. Our hosts were far more urgent, incisive and comfortable on and with the ball however, thus showing that *bad* conditions only impact as much as you allow them to.

Rather queerly – for him, this is – Dave Jones opted to experiment with the formation. Out went the 4-4-2/4-3-3 system that features for every game, ever, and in came a Christmas tree (clearly our Liverpudlian doesn’t oblige the old twelve days after rule):
Marshall
Matthews Hudson Gerrard McNaughton
Rae (Taiwo) Ledley Wildig
Whittingham McCormack
Chopra

Early on, Wildig was staying too central (the formation was presumably meant to fold into a 4-4-2 off-ball with he shifting quickly out left to bolt Bristol’s right-sided threat). As a result, McNaughton was working overtime to provide width and Bristol – mainly via the brutal and combatant but overlapping and tidy-passing Orr – favoured frequent balls down the channel to Danny Haynes.

Although the red team monopolised possession, they were quick to retreat upon the blues having their turn. This worked when Cardiff elected to put in crosses (with no tall players or willingly-ghosting CMs, clearing was easy), but when Chopra, McCormack and Whittingham indulged in some triangular give-and-go moves, or Wildig an upfield carry, the likes of Orr and McAllister were more than happy to crunch in, stop the attack and pick up a yellow card for their troubles.

In midfield, the right-footed, set-piece-taking, ball-working figure of Paul Hartley sought to get Bristol’s attacking players fed and the home side ticking; Marvin Elliot offered aerial presence, tackles and timed darts into the box. Cole Skuse, nominally out left, drifted in to bridge play and offer a passing option. Dave Clarkson, strike partner to the prolific Nicky Maynard, would then cover/do most of his own work in the left-flank position. As Haynes was so far advanced on the right, Bristol’s formation tended to amalgamate into a 4-3-3.

mcd_gherkout_medres The home side’s weak-link came in the form of goalkeeper Dean Gerken. A modern-day footballer being able to kick with both feet: is it really too much to ask (COUGH McPhail COUGH)? In the case of the former Colchester custodian, seemingly so. His reliance on the right leg led to Cardiff’s best missed chance of the game, and our goal.

Although the former began from a rather woeful McAllister backpass, the ‘keepers insistence on waiting to clear until the ball reached his favoured set of toes allowed Chopra the time to close him down. With Gerken stranded, the bobbled clearance landed on the ‘D’ to young Aaron Wildig. Having been reluctant to shoot – like rest of his team-mates – so far, the midfielder had a timely boost of confidence. Perhaps spurred on by the technique of Spanish sensation Sergio Canales at the weekend, the academy product opted to try a 50p-foot Ibra-esque dink. Alas, it was but mere millimetres from going in. However, this chance not only proved that Bristol had a very ordinary stopper tending the net, but also seemed to encourage the away side into entering the game a little more. Whittingham began seeking the ball further down the pitch, Ledley’s two-yard passes became more urgent, and Wildig bobbed about as a dummying option or move-bridger.

As for the goal, Gerken was again at fault. An awful attempt to clear on his left foot led to him being out of his box, the ball remaining on the field of play, and Michael Chopra finally remembering that strikers who’ve commanded nearly £10m worth of fees in the past few years are allowed to score goals!

Of course, following the Bluebirds means I knew what was going to happen: Bristol would equalize in injury time. Some may argue that every football fan says this about their team. Now while others just go on repeating it, us City fans are forced to live with actually experiencing it every freakin’ week. The goal adhered to protocol. Cardiff camped in their box-the opposition spreads it across rather tamely under minimal pressure-a City attacker fails to get into position/follow a runner (Whittingham)-goal is scored. Cardiff’s no. 7 followed up this shocking display of defensive discipline by wasting the game’s final chance: a set-piece tamer than Postman Pat’s cat.

Ross McCormack fared little better on set-piece duty during his spell on the pitch. Corner-kicks failed to beat the first man; free-kicks were pathetically squandered strikes that stroked the midriffs of those in the front-row seats. The convicted drink-driver seems to get porkier every time I see him too. Perhaps his is the kind of extended family that sees each other infrequently. Therefore, during Christmas gatherings constantly-closing conversations are quasi-disguised by an abundance of After Eight or Roses pass-rounds. Ross presumably likes to indulge hosts everywhere (just ask the local barman!), greedily yanking two slabs of confectionery from the famous blue tin with the excuse “well, you only live once, eh!” Quite – but then your belly only has to remain flat for a few years while playing at the highest level!