Cardiff v Hull. Match Preview

Last updated : 27 April 2007 By Michael Morris
I've calmed down a bit after ranting last Saturday night. It'll do my stress levels little good to keep on spitting blood after the Cardiff City surrender of recent weeks.

I probably could have been a little more eloquent but it mattered to me that we again failed as a team. I apologise to Dave Jones if I was a bit direct in my critisism. I made the comments and I've left them untouched. It would have been easy to have edited them but I wrote what I felt. I wish my passion at the time could have been reflected in some of our recent performances.

Writing now prior to Saturday's game with Hull it's possible that Cardiff could head to Ipswich and the last game and still have an outside play off chance. To me that makes it even more gaulling that for the sake of probably two victories in recent weeks we could have been in the mix.

I'm still dumbfounded at the way we have given up. The loss of confidence is astounding.

I fully expect that we wil mathematically be out of the frame at the end of play on Saturday and next weeks trip to Ipswich wil be for party purposes and little else.

The crunch comes at the bottom of the table (somewhere we would have been if our season had started in October).

Should Hull City beat us at Ninian Park tomorrow then Leeds Utd would be relegated if they fail to beat Ipswich at Elland Rd. There is a group of people who would be happy to see City lose to help send Leeds down.

Hull fans, are hoping for just such an outcome as they will survive at Leeds' expense.

Luton are already relegated, Southend are hanging on a thread that is at breaking point. Leeds and Hull are stumbling into the last chance saloon.

Just how many will be at NP to witness the City v Hull game is unsure. At a time when we should be turning people away at the door I think we'll be lucky to see the place half full.

I'm assuming we have a plan for next season, hence the reluctance to try too hard this season. For me oportunity doesn't knock that often and that's why I'm annoyed we didn't go for it.

Dave Jones will be without several players tomorrow.

Chopra and Walton (suspended) Scimeca, Byrne, Loovens and Purse (injured) - but the latter two may possibly see some action before the end of the season.

Hull City bring their Dads Amy to Ninian Park. Nick Barmby, Ray Parlour and Dean Windass are not the spring chickens they once were but despite a combined age of 105 the are still producing the goods with Windass scoring 7 goals since his arrival at Hull in January.

There will be a minutes appreciation of the life of Alan Ball before kick off. The decision was made by the Football League to honour Ball, who died this week, and it applies to all Premiership and Football League games.

Cardiff City v Hull City
Saturday, 3:00pm.