CCFC v CCFC. Match preview

Last updated : 10 August 2004 By Michael Morris
What a disappointment that was. Coventry had a man sent off in the 1st minute. City put in a woeful dispaly that was capped off when Martyn Margetson was red carded after he was alledged to have brought down Julian Joachim. Coventry scored the penalty to record a 1 - 0 win.

It was later proved that Joachim had dived and Margetson had the red card rescinded. Unfortunately though the goal still stood and the records show it was one of the 7 home defeats we suffered last season.

The match report from that night can be read here.

Tonight all that is behind us. It's City's first home game in Coca Cola Chmpionship (or Division 1 - if you are not that old -- or Division 2 - if you are a bit older).

Coventry topped the table after round 1 of matches. They beat Sunderland 2 - 0 at Highfield Rd on Saturday with late goals from Suffo (pen) and a young lad called Eddie Johnson. The 19 year old is on loan from Man Utd. (Watford knocked Coventry off top spot with a 3 - 0 win over QPR last night).

Back to penalties. City were done by one last season against Coventry and one match report from Coventry's win on Saturday says Coventry took the lead from "A dubious penalty decision on 75 minutes " It's something to be wary of.

The two clubs have met 4 times in the last 18 months or so. The two league games last season saw wins for each club. City triumphed 3 - 1 at Highfield Rd (report here) while I've mentioned the 0 - 1 reverse at Ninian Park.

The season before the teams met in the FA Cup. A 2 - 2 draw was followed by a 3 - 0 home win in the replay at Highfield Rd.

Prior to that the teams hadn't met since April 1967.

For Cardiff to progress this season we must tighten up at the back. City have conceded 14 goals in 6 pre season and one league game so far this season. It's not a secret, it's now an issue that City cannot concentrate for the full 90 mins and as was proved last season we have awful second halves to games. If all the matches finished at 45 mins last season we would have been at least in a play off place if not automatic promotion. If just the second halves were recorded we would have been in a relegation battle.

"It's frustrating to concede the goals we are at the moment," says new signing Robert Page. "But I'm sure it will come good for us. There will be a point in a game where someone makes a block or a tackle and it results in the clean sheet that we deserve and that we're striving for.

"We can then go on from there and finally put this thing of us conceding goals to bed."

A big performance tonight is vital. City have fickle fans, they can be the very best or the very worst, City have to get it right at home. Last season 13 of the 23 games were not won. There's no way we can improve on last season unless we get better at home. It's well recognised that there is pressure at Ninian Park. It's pressure that should be on the opposition but it's not, it's on our own players.

We follow up tonights game with a home match against Plymouth on Friday. Because of timings irrespective of what happens elsewhere we will be top of the league if we win both games. I know at this stage of the season one result can see you jump or drop 10 - 15 places but psychologically City need to get on a good run, if we struggle early on the pressure will build.

On the team front it looks like City will remain unchanged. Willie Boland and Peter Thorne are not ready to return yet.

That would see a City line up of

Margetson, Weston, Page, Gabbidon, Vidmar, Robinson, Bullock, Kavanah, Langley, Lee, Earnshaw. Subs Warner, Croft, Collins, Parry, Campbell.

There will be more exact team news later today.