Positivity!

More positive news since my last post. 3 more games, and no further defeats. The Bluebirds have clearly become a very hard team to beat - a very useful attribute! The fitness and work rate of the team is particularly impressive, and the form of the second string players in the Carling Cup matches is also encouraging. I haven't seen anything to deflect me from the idea that we are a good team capable of a top 6 finish, and we are only 1 or 2 players away from being a very good team. Lets hope the club is able to bring in the final pieces of the jigsaw via the loan market.

Cardiff 2 Doncaster 0

Make no mistake - Doncaster were poor. But you can only beat the team put in front of you, and this no nonsense performance was a lot more comfortable than the scoreline suggests. We seemed to make hard work of it, but the patience eventually paid off in the 52nd minute when Anthony Gerrard headed in from a free kick. A defensive error from Doncaster let Peter Whittingham set up Earnie with 15 minutes left, and the game was over. Substitute appearances for Gunnarson, and Phillip Kiss, both coming back from injuries, was also encouraging.

Cardiff attack with a Hudson header against Doncaster(picture John Candy)

I was talking to a Doncaster fan on Sloper Road after the game. "We can't score goals and we can't defend - there's only one way we're going out of this division with that sort of form!". Sums it up nicely.

 

Blackpool 1 Cardiff 1.

Billed as the revenge match following our playoff defeat in 2010, reports were that we played a 4-5-1 formation with Kenny Miller as the lone striker. Although I don't get to away games, my friend Andy Williams reliably informs me that this was probably our best performance of the season, and we should have won. The press reports seem to back this up. Don Cowie's 52nd minute goal was equalised with an outstanding unstoppable strike from veteran Blackpool striker Kevin Phillips. Still, an away point is always welcome, and we have done well on our travels so far this season.

Cardiff 2 Leicester 2 (Cardiff win 7-6 on penalties after extra time)

The Carling Cup again provided a good work out for some of our squad players, although it was another late night at the Cardiff City Stadium. It was nice to see Stephen McPhail return for his first game of the season, although unfortunately he had to go off after 30 minutes with a groin injury. There were 7 changes from the team which started at Blackpool on Saturday (there would have been 8 but for a calf injury picked up by goalkeeper Tom Heaton).

 

The first half was pretty poor, and the half time score of 1-1 actually flattered both teams as 0-0 would have been a more accurate reflection of play! However, the game opened up a bit in the second half, and a first club goal for Rudy Gestede in the 82nd minute meant that for the third Carling Cup match running extra time was played.

Rudy Gestede celebrates his first goal for the club (picture Jon Candy)

Both sides were exhausted by extra time, and so the penalty shoot-out inevitably followed. Not as dramatic  as the last penalty shoot-out against Leicester! However, we did have the same result and we go through to the 4th round draw. Lets hope we get a good draw against a Premier League side in the next round.

 

And on Sunday (live on Sky 1.15) we get to play Leicester all over again in the Championship!