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Saturday 7 April 2018

Cardiff Cardiff'd It

Cardiffing (v): to singlehandedly, and spectacularly, cock up the end of every footballing season. 


2008/09 - Cardiff need a mere two points from four games to qualify for the play-offs. They manage to get just the one, thus missing out to Preston on goals scored, having been battered at Deepdale 6-0 within those four games. They also lose 3-0 in the last ever game at Ninian Park. 

2009/10 - City reach the play-off final but somehow, even after taking the lead twice, succumb to Blackpool, a side who by their own admission were not Premier League material. 

2010/11 - With Craig Bellamy and England international Jay Bothroyd spearheading their attack, Cardiff again make the play-offs and, having secured a credible draw away in the first-leg, Wembley surely beckoned once more. Nope. We lost. 0-3. 

2011/12 - League Cup glory. Well nearly. City lose a penalty shootout to Liverpool in the final. But that was just a day out - it was all about promotion. The play-off/Cardiff pairing was going to be a trilogy and, just like its two predecessors, it would end in heartbreak, the Bluebirds going down 5-0 to West Ham.

2012/13 - We actually won the league but it didn't matter because we were playing in red and everything was shit. 

2013/14 - We got relegated from the Premier League, finishing last, but it didn't matter because we were playing in red and everything was shit.  


It's fair to say that Cardiff fans may have become used to witnessing some truly awful footballing occasions in April and May.

But last night took the piss. And I mean it proper took the piss. There's Cardiffing and then there's last night's Cardiffing. 

I was confident before the game. Walking towards the Cardiff City Stadium after a pre-match pint in the Napier, I was sure of a City win and that this would be one of the most memorable nights in the relatively short history of our ground. 

I was half right. 

A big crowd, a crunch match, an in-form team and Neil Warnock in our dugout, I thought we'd not only come out victorious, but do it somewhat convincingly. 

I know, I know, what was I thinking? Hadn't years of following City taught you anything?  

Evidently not. 

What makes it harder to stomach, however, is that the first half did nothing to convince me that my prediction was wishful thinking. 

Apart from efforts by Ruben Neves and Diogo Jota, Neil Etheridge went largely untroubled, with City having some good chances of their own. Albeit they looked unable to string a few passes together, I thought more than matched Wolves. 

But the second half. Jesus Christ. 

Football has a way of coming back to bite you and as soon as Neves had another free-kick opportunity moments after hilariously ballooning his first, you sort of knew what was about to happen. 

It was the kind of strike that £15m gets you. Etheridge's position could've been better, but, in stark contrast to his counterparts in blue, Neves held his composure to score an all important first goal. 

Just like at Bramall Lane on Monday, going behind didn't necessarily mean that this Warnock side would be confined to defeat. I was adamant that City would get a chance and that thought was only echoed when Helda Costa spurned a great opportunity by putting the ball just wide. 

And, just like the proverbial bus, you wait all day for one and two come at once. 

I'm not really a fan of Mike Dean. I suppose he's not really a fan of Cardiff after one of our fans threw a 50p coin at his head in 2009, but I thought he was exceptional last night. 

Dean has a reputation of being arrogant, he probably assumed the just under 30,000 crowd were there to see his refereeing rather than the game, and that, despite the talent on show, Dean was the real star. 

When the first penalty was awarded my mind quickly turned to who was going to take it. 

Whittingham?, I thought, clearly not over the fact he doesn't play for us anymore and hasn't for quite some time. Ralls? No, injured. Zohore? No, subbed. 

It came down to three: Joe Bennett, Aron Gunnarsson, Anthony Pilkington. 

Gary Madine didn't even enter my thought process. I knew he took penalties at Bolton, but I felt there were better options at our disposal. 

Sure enough, with only a short run up, the strike didn't have the power and was saved well by John Ruddy. 

Ah well, penalties are missed all the time. Never mind, we go again at Villa Park.

But no.

Dean gave us another crack at redemption, this time in textbook Hollywood fashion. A lengthy blow of the whistle, a stern hand in the direction of the spot. Simply box office stuff. 

Not quite up there with the 'Welcome to the Premier League' whistle he does at the end of play-off finals, but it's close. 

Again, I referred to my list of three players to take this one. Bennett had a great game, Gunnarsson won it and has the bottle of a Viking, and Pilkington was in confident mood following his exploits in Sheffield. 

I wasn't too unhappy to see Junior Hoilett positioning the ball. He's one of the best in the league and I was sure that we couldn't miss two injury time penalties, not remembering I support Cardiff City. 

I'm glad he went for power, if Ruddy had saved this one it somehow would've been even worse. It's hard to describe the feeling of seeing the ball deflect off the bar. It was eerily similar to how I felt after the Wales v Ireland game in October. Empty. 

As seats were punched and fans streamed out of the exits, it was easy to think that this could start a capitulation but I cannot see this side repeating the feats of City sides of yesteryear. 

Cardiff gave Wolves, who are the best side in the league, a decent game and should've got a point. The difference was simply the individual quality. Neves looked a cut above even before his goal and there's no doubt in my mind that he will shine in the Premier League next year. 

How much of a psychological blow this will be remains to be seen. But, if there's any side that can bounce back from a setback like this, it's this Cardiff one under the watchful eye of Neil Warnock. 

The ending of the game was a complete non-story. I agree that Nuno should, in an ideal world, show respect with a handshake and then celebrate with his club.

However, if I was manager of City and my title rivals had just missed two last minute penalties, not only would I have not shaken the manager's hand, I'd be bolluck naked in the away end crowd surfing on the advertising hoardings. Passion. 

It's noteworthy that Warnock's rant at Nuno is what's being talked about rather than our players shortcomings in terms of composure, arguably taking the pressure off them ahead of Tuesday. 

It's those subtle but important things the experienced Warnock does that makes me confident that he will not let this define our season and add this campaign to the list of calamities mentioned at the start of this piece. 

Hopefully, as we sip on some post-promotion beers in May, we can look back at last night and laugh just like the rest of the world is. 

"Remember when we missed two last minute penalties to lose at home to Wolves?"

"Yeah mate, that was peak Cardiffing"