second round of the Worthington Cup this Tuesday, it'll mark the 13th
time the Bluebirds have met a top-division opponent away from home in
this cup competition. City have had some big postwar successes away
from home in cup play - among them FA Cup wins at Aston Villa in 1948-
49, at West Bromwich Albion in 1949-50, back-to-back wins at Leeds in
1956-57 and 1957-58, and at Sheffield United in the 1971-72
competition. The League Cup is an entirely different story though.
In City's long and not-all-that-glorious League Cup history, the
Bluebirds record in away matches against top-flight clubs shows a
grand total of no wins, one draw, and 11 losses. Along with a goal
differential of -21 (11 GF/32 GA). A win at the Lane on Tuesday,
then, would be City's first away from home against the top tier in
League Cup play and their first such win in a major domestic cup
competition since that third round 3-1 win at Sheffield United during
the 1971-72 season.
Here's the Bluebirds' League Cup record in such contests:
1965-66 - West Ham United 5, Cardiff City 2 (first leg of the two-
legged semifinal; West Ham won 10-3 on aggregate)
1967-68 - Burnley 2, Cardiff City 1 (second round)
1969-70 - Crystal Palace 3, Cardiff City 1 (second round)
1971-72 - West Ham United 1, Cardiff City 1 second round; City lost
the replay at Ninian Park 2-1)
1973-74 - Burnley 3, Cardiff City 2 (second round replay following
second round 2-2 draw played at Ninian Park)
1979-80 - Everton 2, Cardiff City 0 (second round first leg; City won
second leg at Ninian Park 1-0 but lost 2-1 on aggregate)
1982-83 - Arsenal 2, Cardiff City 1 (second round first leg; City
lost second leg at Ninian Park 3-1 to fall 5-2 on aggregate)
1983-84 - Norwich City 3, Cardiff City 0 (second round second leg;
City had drawn 0-0 in the first leg at Ninian Park)
1984-85 - Watford 3, Cardiff City 1 (second round first leg; City won
second leg at Ninian Park 1-0 but lost 3-2 on aggregate)
1988-89 - QPR 3, Cardiff City 0 (second round first leg; City lost
second leg at Ninian Park 4-1 to fall 7-1 on aggregate)
1995-96 - Southampton 2, Cardiff City 1 (second round second leg;
City had lost 3-0 in the first leg at Ninian Park)
1999-2000 - Wimbledon 3, Cardiff City 1 (second round second leg;
City had drawn 1-1 in the first leg at Ninian Park)
Note: If you wanted to you could argue, I suppose, that City have one
away "win" against top-flight opposition in this competition. The
1986-87 tournament saw City draw Luton Town in the second round and
advance at their expense when the mighty Hatters were disqualified
for refusing to admit away fans to Kenilworth Road. If you want to
count it as an away win against top-division opposition, though,
it'll still be the only such win in club history. If you don't count
Luton, a win at White Hart Lane on Tuesday would be a first.
By the way, City are winless in their last five visits to the Lane,
showing a draw and four defeats. Their last appearance there was for
a Division Two match on January 21, 1978, also the last meeting
between the two clubs. Spurs won on that occasion 2-1. City's last
win at the Lane? November 6, 1954, a 2-0 league win for the top-tier
Bluebirds.
John Heyda