Maybe you were luckier in your house but with the family obsessed with Emmerdale and Coronation Street, I was relegated to the kitchen to watch the game. Mind you, it was nearer the fridge and the Budweiser supply - lovely!
City were missing a few for different reasons but fielded probably their strongest side ever in this competition apart from a final victory two years ago. Thorne and Weston remain injured but are currently joined by Robinson, Boland and Parry (also doubts for the weekend). Mark Bonner travelled to Oldham for transfer talks with Jason Bowen set to leave too. Alexander, Earnie, Gabbidon and Margetson were rested.
City went for it in a 4-3-3 style with Alexander, Croft-Vidmar-Collins-Barker, Langley-Bullock-Whalley- Lee-Gordon-Campbell. Alexander, other than his brief sub appearance in the recent Coventry game, was making his first full start for 16 games..
Cardiff started slowly and didn’t really get out of their own half in the opening 5 minutes. In that time, Wrexham had a couple of corners (one in the opening 45 seconds as Vidmar chested behind under pressure with Alexander not shouting loud enough - it takes some doing to be quiet in an empty ground!), a couple of crosses whilst Carey toe-poked wide in a scramble and the dangerous Carols Edwards make Alexander save well from a low angled drive.
The game settled in entertaining fashion swinging end to end in a scrappy rather than skilful style with Wrexham looking dangerous breaking but City carrying more threat up front. Cardiff almost went ahead on 14 minutes as a short free-kick was worked wide to Alan Lee who flicked over the defence, Bullock got behind them and his shot was well smothered by the keeper, moments later Gordon almost broke through but was blocked. Bullock was unlucky but it was a great sight to see a midfielder get beyond our strikers and into an advanced position, that’s a quality we’ve not had this season.
Both sides were winning corners but they didn’t add to much. Wrexham’s main threat came through Carlos Edwards on Chris Barker’s side. Collins headed one ball behind really well but a weaker header failed to get out of the area, fortunately Wrexham’s shot was poor too.
The lively opening had calmed down. City’s following who had taunted Wrexham with “you’ve only got one song” although I didn’t hear that, had quietened down too. The most entertainment - for tv viewers anyway - came when Croft touched the ball behind but appealed for a corner. When he didn’t get a decision, BBC microphones picked up his abuse of the linesman which made me chuckle.
Gordon was clear on goal from another sharp move, his shot also blocked by the keeper but he’d got himself offside and there was more complacency as Andy Campbell made a great run at the Wrexham defence before finding Campbell wide and clear but his edge of area chip was yards over the bar.
However ALAN LEE made up for that on 35 minutes with a fantastic, classy goal out of nothing. Taking the ball in midfield, Gareth Whalley chipped it forward inside City’s half, Lee instinctively chested the ball wide of a defender and closer to the centre of goal and then, taking the ball in his stride as it bounced, he coolly flicked a shot on the outside of his left boot over the despairing arms of Wrexham‘s keeper.
The quality of the finish was a little lost in the subdued atmosphere. Had it been in a league game, it would have been raved about. Pure quality as a finish that pundits would describe as “sublime”
It was no more than City deserved, they undoubtedly had extra quality and caused trouble every time they ran at Wrexham’s hard-pressed defence. It was refreshing to see City play that way but all the good work was nearly wasted on 40 minutes as a ball over City’s defence saw Collins and Chris Llewellyn ran towards goal, Neil Alexander charged out but was indecisive and the ball went past him, Lawrence played it back to Carlos Edwards whose drive grazed the crossbar with Alexander trying to cover.
With the last action of the half, Gavin Gordon could have doubled City’s lead but meeting a free-kick under pressure, he got under the ball for the second time in an advanced position and nodded over.
Have time BBC stats showed Wrexham had more possession, corners, shots on and off target but stats can be misleading. City were comfortable and good value for their lead, they had more threat and had they made more of their opportunities could have put the game beyond the home side by the interval.
Half-time: WREXHAM 0 CITY 1
Lennie decided the occasion was a good time to give Michael Fish a start. It may have been that Gareth Whalley had a knock but BBC Wales showed a half-time interview with Mark Hughes still having a whinge about Russia and that made me leave my telly for a while. Just accept it Sparky, we had our chance in those play-offs and we didn’t take it - simple as that.
The second half start, crowd and atmosphere all had one thing in common - they were quiet. I’m sure I can’t have been the only City fan at home, as much as I love my club, wondering why I was watching a soulless game in a meaningless competition when Chelsea v Arsenal was on the other side in a Champions League quarter-final (as well as Pobl Y Cwm on S4C of course!).
Cardiff kept things tidy and tight and I‘m sure they had a brief to watch Carlos Edwards, the Dragons sole threat. They had raised hopes as Gary Croft missed a very average cross which went under his boot but Llewellyn never anticipated and the ball went by him too with a gaping opportunity. A minute later, another escape as another weak Collins header put Croft under pressure, the ball touched his arm and was cleared. A penalty appeal was rightly denied but some refs would have given them.
Wrexham threatened again with 25 to go as Steven Thomas shot on the turn, Alexander tipped his rising volley over the bar for the first corner of the half which posed no danger. Chris Llewellyn then ran at Vidmar but as he cut inside to shoot, the Aussie showed his experience by closing him down and blocking the shot.
With City seemingly on the way to closing out the game, disaster struck and I’m afraid the fingers have to pint strongly at Neil Alexander who let himself down with his uncertainty for at least the third time in the game but this was calamitous.
Wrexham won a free-kick wide right. They swung it to the far post, it seemed over hit and was a routine take for Neil Alexander but he came lazily, was slow to jump and Dennis Lawrence won a knockdown on a ball that was never his to win, fate fell his and Wrexham’s way as it dropped to CHRIS LLEWELLYN who turned the ball home from a couple of yards, Vidmar powerless to stop it as it hit him on the line.
The game had swung as Wrexham would have found renewed confidence in a game that was slipping away from them whilst City now had to find an extra gear as they had not got forward and had a single opportunity in the second period. On 80 minutes, a horrible old feeling came as a Wrexham corner was missed by Collins and Vidmar to leave Dennis Lawrence with a free header but which flew straight into Alexander’s arms.
However relief came City’s way with 7 minutes remaining and extra-time looming. City won a free-kick deep in their own half, Wrexham brought on a sub and City were about to bring on Stuart Fleetwood but didn’t. Wrexham critically lost concentration as Collins launched a long ball forward, Gordon flicked it on, a defender failed to head away as Lee challenged and the bal ran loose to ANDY CAMPBELL who hit an excellent angled shot across goal Another great piece of finishing.
Wrexham fought back hard with Alexander saving two distance headers and a shot but the Scots keeper made another terrible howler on 90 minutes as Lee Jones broke on the right, he chipped up a difficult ball to the far post with Alexander again ball watching and completely guilty of lacking bravery to challenge as he flailed arms and her veteran Chris Armstrong headed past him from 3 yards.
Alexander dealt with the distance stuff well but showed a complete lack of confidence and competence to deal with anything around his 6 yard box. His spell out of the side does not appear to have helped him in the slightest. He’s sad to see Alexander go so far backwards but you have to admit that Margetson is now our clear number one keeper, I hope Neil sorts himself out. He spoke about how his confidence was unshakeable in the press this week, he could have fooled me.
Wrexham almost nicked it in the last second of normal play as another header went down but Alexander and his far post kept the ball out. It was extra-time, City had only themselves to blame for twice allowing Wrexham back into the game with giveaway goals. I was gutted because I now had to watch another half-hour of this and miss the 2nd half of Arse v Chelsea - City always mess it up for us, don’t they?
Full-time: WREXHAM 2 CITY 2 extra-time necessary
With a deathly atmosphere, little better than a reserves match, City started extra-time well with good passing and movement but no penetration. They had scares as Lawrence blasted wide than a defender got around the back of Barker and sent a low ball into City’s goalmouth which Collins hooked against Chris Llewellyn, the ball hit his body and deflected no more than two foot over the bar with Alexander helpless. The incident benefited City though as Llewellyn twisted his ankle and had to depart a couple of minutes later leaving Wrexham with 10 men having already used all subs.
City had half chances as Gordon reached a looping ball in a crowd but his header had no power at all. Lee broke clear wide in the area but his pass to Campbell in space was poor as was a far post header from a Langley cross which softly flew to the keeper instead of being knocked back.
Wrexham had the last say of the half as Edwards (Carlos) won the ball against Bullock and shot across goal and narrowly wide, Edwards (Paul) beat Croft and sent a dangerous ball across goal and Edwards (Carlos) showed great skill to skip past Vidmar and Collins but Croft superbly threw himself in the way to ensure there was no shot.
Now it was time to start worrying - the prospect of Neil Alexander in a penalty competition didn’t really bare thinking about.
Extra-time half-time: WREXHAM 2 CITY 2
City opened the final period with Stuart Fleetwood, scorer of the winner against Newport in the quarter-final, replacing Gordon.
City, with the extra man, showing intent to go for it but Wrexham again provided the first hairy moment as Lee Jones fired a waist high ball across goal that evaded Alexander and a Wrexham forward.. A good move involving Lee, Langley and Fleetwood who turned a defender inside out won a corner as Fleetwood’s cross failed to find Langley, it was weak as was the subsequent corner.
You could not tell Cardiff had an extra man but with no natural width, they struggled to spread the game. Richard Langley, again not showing that well, came into life and zipped about. One careless challenge earned him a needless booking but he showed some quality with a great one-two and a chipped cross that Roberts cleared under his bar, Lee waiting to pounce.
The first shot of the period came with less than 5 minutes remaining, a speculative Lee Jones effort bouncing harmlessly wide. There was a late incident as Langley cleared the ball and Chris Armstrong poked a boot into his back. The players squared up, Wrexham’s couple of dozen fans appealed for a sending-off, the ref wisely calmed it down. The bad feelings, which came from nowhere, after the tamest of tow hours beforehand came again as Crowell lunged in studs showing on Andy Campbell and caught him but, by luck, caused no damage. Lee flicked a header well wide from a free-kick.
For the Bluebirds, it was a poor extra-time. They failed to win it in 90 minutes, as they should have done, by gifting equalisers and they failed to take any advantage of extra-time with an extra man and fresh legs. Wrexham arguably now deserved the win for playing more football and having a better go of it as City let themselves down and now for the 2nd time in 3 years, it was all down to penalties.
End of extra-time: WREXHAM 2 CITY 2
Tony Vidmar won a coin toss for penalty taking leaving penalties to be taken in front of City’s fans and take the first penalty.
Andy Campbell placed low into the corner, Wrexham’s keeper Ingham on loan from Sunderland going the wrong way. 1-0 to City on pens. Chris Armstrong levelled it hitting the ball to the same spot as Campbell - to nobody’s surprise, Alexander dived the other way. 1-1
Alan Lee shot low, the keeper got a hand but couldn’t keep out, Carlos Edwards hit the centre of goal with Alexander finger-tipping it. 2-2 after 2.
Collins took the best penalty so far shooting low and right inside the bottom corner, Lee Jones sent Alexander the wrong way. 3-3 after 3.
Richard Langley seemed to have become a villain - Wrexham’s fan(!) was booing him - but his hit was low and powerful. Steven Thomas lined up next, Alexander crumpled straight to the ground realising he was going the wrong way again. 4-4 after 4.
Stuart Fleetwood hit a peach sending Ingham the wrong way meaning it was now effective sudden death. Crowell lined up, Alexander did his dance and - yes - went the wrong way. 5-5 after 5.
Now it was real sudden death. In fairness to both goalkeepers, all penalties had been really good.
Gray Croft was next taker, again hit low and hard and into the corner. Ingham went the right way but couldn’t get there. Dennis Lawrence, 6’7”, coolly slotted the other way. Alexander dived the right direction but not far enough. 6-6
Tony Vidmar who had been in a sweatshirt had to remove it. City’s best player hit the poorest penalty, too casual, too straight and waist height. Ingham saved.
Steven Roberts stepped up, hit it with some power, Alexander got fingers to it but only enough to deflect it to the roof of goal.
Wrexham won 7-6 on penalties and deserved it ultimately. City, once again, had thrown it away. Their inconsistency and slackness had struck yet again.
Some of our players proved why we need to find better next season. My final feelings goes to those fans of ours who travelled up today to watch that match and didn’t get out of the ground to come home until 10pm. Great supporters.