Cardiff City 1 Hull City 0. Match Report

Last updated : 20 February 2006 By NigelBlues

Superb first half Cameron Jerome opportunism separated the sides but City's hero was perhaps Neil Alexander who pulled off a couple of remarkable stops to preserve all three points.

For Cardiff, currently marooned in 7th, a few points behind the play-offs and with a game or two more played than most, the task is hard but simple and clear. They just have to win to keep the season alive, no matter how ugly, keep winning and hope others slip. With Preston in F.A. Cup action this weekend and Palace (I think they're the most vulnerable team in the play-offs) conceding a late equaliser at bottom three club Millwall, the gap closed a little.

As it was, this win took City past to 52 points, well past the "mythical" winning post for Championship survival. We have to give all praise to Dave Jones and his team for their efforts to be there with ease with a quarter of the season to go and looking at a Premiership play-off spot instead. In fact, we're 23 points ahead of the bottom three who all seem unlikely to reach 45 points this season.

Two change from the side who brilliantly struck back at Luton in midweek. Steve Thompson was available following surgery for his bizarre apple slicing injury. He played in a light plastercast and was very hairy. "He's got a beard cos he can't shave" said someone behind realising there's other more important things he may struggle to do as well. Nsungu made way for him whilst Jeff Whitley got his first start since Arsenal in the F.A. Cup with Kevin Cooper injured and not in the 16.

And so we went with Alexander, Ardey-Purse-Cox-Barker, Koumas-Whitley-Scimeca-Ledley, Thompson-Jerome. The subs were Margetson-Boland-Ferretti-Nsungu-Weston.

Hull are enjoying good times under England Under-21 coach Peter Taylor who would have taken special note of Cameron Jerome who is due to play under him for a Championship Under 21 select side against Italian counterparts at Hull on Tuesday night.

Three seasons ago, The Tigers finished in the bottom half of the bottom division. Since then, two successive promotions and, although they have impatient support not truly happy as it's the first time their team can't win every week for a while without fully appreciating 17th in their debut Championship season is good acheivement. They have consolidated and are a comfortable 10 points above the relegation spots. Why expect more?

They need a reality check for sure but it's easy to understand. Just remember how carried away we got with City's rise to this level and how fickle we are now we've got there. The crowd was better but remained poor - just over 11,000 bothering to make the effort today with 400 of those from Yorkshire.

Hull's away form is par (4 wins and 17 points from 17 aways before today) and they've been average at home too. Only 5 K.C. Stadium victories including one against us with two goals in the last three minutes after we looked more than comfortable until Darren Purse was sent off. They came here seeking a double and wanting to extend a 3 game unbeaten run with draws against Millwall and Norwich plus a good win at Luton.

They started with Myhill, Thelwell-Cort-Delaney-Rogers, Paynter-Andrews-Noble-Ellison and Parkin plus Fagin up front. They were a little'n'large side with Alan Rogers on loan from Forest listed as 5'10" (yeah, right) when he was more like 5'1", one or two others only slightly bigger than him with the contrast of man mountain 6'4" forward Jon Parkin, a big hit with 4 goals in 7 games since arriving from Macclesfield, but who looked as if his pre-match routine was an all-in burger and chips washed down with a few pints at the pub. Just like me!

The game had the scrappiest lifeless start which served only to set the tone for the rest of the afternoon. Cardiff were trying but failing to put some flowing football together, they struggled to get any move going, Hull came for the scrap and eventually, we settled down to that as well.

Through the mediocrity, City started finding some momentum. A move down the right saw Koumas whip a ball across goal that beat everyone and then, somehow, a corner of his (one of four in succession) seemed to miss three Cardiff heads inside the 6 yard box by a whisker before, with the last corner of the sequence, Darren Purse went closest as he flicked on a Koumas ball beating the keeper but sending his header just over. Steven Thompson fired just over with a shot on the turn as City were now applying pressure and on top, from that miss came our goal.

Myhill, a lanky Yankee keeper, took the goal kick, Darren Purse headed straight back from in his own half and, out of nothing, Jerome was in a chase with two defenders. Only one winner in those situations but what superb composure as JEROME squeezed between the two players, got his boot to the ball first and from 20 yards lobbed over the outcoming keeper, the ball taking one bounce to reach his unguarded net.

That wasn't easy, he made it look that way though. Superb. It was Jerome's first goal in 4 games, his 17th of the season, the 15th in the Championship and he loved it celebrating in front of the Bob Bank. I would have loved it even more had the bookie in Canton found the odds for him being first scorer, as I was so convinced he would be, with my slip and £5 ready to hand over. When they kept me waiting, I told them to forget it - things you wished you hadn't done eh?

The way it was building, I honestly thought we'd go on and record a comfortable 2-0 or 3-0 win without difficulty, how wrong you can be. Not for the first time, City sat back once ahead and, within 4 minutes of that goal, we had the most incredible let off.

City were advanced as Ardley missed a challenge, the whole defence were caught out and The Tigers roared at us. We got cover in the centre but were still slow getting back enabling Hull to work the ball across the box and put Parkin clear on goal. How it stayed out from there I'll never know. The ball hit the inside of the post, it rolled on the line, City got it off there, it pinballed around and Parkin had another shot which Alexander miraculously saved (some suggesting it may have been over the line) and again it was down the line with bodies everywhere before we somehow got it away.

Hull should have scored, they wasted it, we were lucky, we knew it. What actually let Hull down more than anything was their finishing. It wasn't just about good goalkeeping, bad defending and poor luck, Hull's finishing was thankfully shocking. They cost them more than anything. On half-time, however, Alexander had to be at his brilliant best again to dive across goal and push an angled Ellison drive around his post that looked goalbound and he followed that by charging off his line to pluck the resulting corner.

City's only attempts from goal to half-time were two Jerome pot shots, neither far away, as he undoubtedly impressed with his running and work-rate. We deserved our interval lead but weren't convincing.

Half-time: CITY 1 HULL 0

What was that half-time entertainment about? Some called Claire Thomaski who seems to think she's a Millennium Blackwood Bonnie Tyler miming her new single which will be in the shops on Monday (still there on Monday week and appearing in the bargain bin beyond that!) prowling cat-like around the centre spot, all bone and hair. A few of us honestly were wondering if it was a comedy drag artist about to pull his/her wig off but those who saw us close up reckon she was "'arf tidy like innit". I can't see it did her career any good (as if she's had one) but she kicked the ball well and did a mean ayatollah, fair's fair.

The half-time kickers included my bro' (a City home and away fan) rightly getting abused for also following Man United. Not a good day for everyone to know it just after Liverpool had knocked them out of the F.A. Cup. I think he found that more embarrassing then being my brother but at least he netted and kept up a family tradition. Others missed including Phil of The Rams who sits behind me and had bragged all week how would either clear the Grange or take out the Hull fans, that's until his daisycutter. A Hull fan, taking some stick, did the same. Top marks to the small kid who rocketed one home from the penalty spot, a mini John Buchannan.

If the first half was good but not pretty, the second half was a Kiwi's minger by comparison. We got home and enjoyed the success but we've had plenty of better ones. Ooh, I sound all Ian Holloway-esque!

The first chance fell City's way as Jerome won a free-kick right on the edge of the area for a handball but, frustratingly, the ref blew his whistle for that offence as Jerome won a challenge on the loose ball and was in on goal with only Myhill to slot past. It was the right angle but probably to close to goal for Koumas' liking but he still got past beat the wall, had Myhill beaten and the far post by a couple of inches only. Jerome argued with the ref and you could understand why.

Hull were out for the fightback and quite adventurous too as Peter Taylor threw on all three subs around the hour mark. There had a series of chances which were denied, although mostly wasted. The biggest concern for me was not so much the continual pressure, watching us hang on and unable to out a move together but that without exception, every Hull chance came from a City error.

Alexander had to punch away twice, defenders were making last gasp challenges or putting bodies in he way but when Hull had a promising opening, it was as if their front pairing were David Blunkett and Stevie Wonder as shots flew very wide, very high and very horribly ... thankfully.

The first of a couple more incredible escapes came when a corner wasn't cleared, forced towards goal and Parkin seemed certain to score as he shaped to hook goalwards from four yards but Purse put him off and Alexander bravely dived in among the boots to smother. Purse was down injured and hobbled badly for a while afterwards, I would be disappointed if I didn't see a City game with Purse needing treatment at least twice per game, it's now a formality.

City came back and won another edge of area free-kick, this time with Ledley being brought down as he threatened to go through on the left. Again, it was right area but too close, Koumas tried to curl for the opposite top corner and saw it tamely go over. We surely need to consider variation sometimes. We weren't a seocnd half attacking force, with midfield struggling, Thompson fading and proving he wasn't fully fit and Ardley's radar off beam as his usual exemplary crossing just wasn't happening.

The final 20 minutes were agony and not becuase sitting in the cold makes you go stiff. City fell back deeper and deeper and lacked shape, it was just a case of clearing away loose balls and hoping someone could do something but nobody did

Green fired wide after latching on a loose ball when he should have done better then Scimeca who has looked too causal laying balls back or sideways at the back turned one back sending Parkin free. Ardley was struggling so nudged him just outside the box, the player went over inside but no way was it a penalty even though Hull are moaning about it. The free-kick was wasted, just missing connecting with the Canton Stand roof.

Nsungu was warming up and had started stripping off but Dave Jones signalled his thoughts for the final 10 minutes when he brought off Jerome, admittedly carrying a slight strain that saw him go straight down the tunnel, for Rhys Weston, another defender and another with a beard. Is he restoring the Shaggy Scooby-Doo look?

It could only be Rhys whose first chance to redeem himself saw him in space with the ball and pass straight to a yellow and black striped shirt, the ball quickly returned behind him before Elliott's shot was worse than useless. The whole crowd, led by Dave Jones himself, screamed at Weston. That boy just doesn't help himself sometimes. He did redeem himself slightly at a corner when he threw himself in the way of a Hull player and then cleared.

City got to three minutes added time by just hooking the ball away anywhere and all play being just outside our area. The defensive boys were working overtime, our pattern almost clueless but we were getting there. There was a gasp when 4 minutes added time were shown, it was right with injuries and subs, and two more amazing escapes.

Firstly, as we lost the ball on the left, a cross cleared the defence to find Stuart Elliott 10 yards out and the whole goal to aim at only to flick a header directly at Neil Alexander. He really should have buried out. Then in the last seconds, after Chris Barker went on an 80 yard run to buy time, the resulting move back downfield saw City in a mess and Darren Purse completely botch a header that was looping into his own goal until the "cat" Alexander threw and stretched himself to get there and cling onto it almost as it went in.

Final whistle brought immense relief, celebration and cheers. We needed that win, the fact it was very ugly matter not one iota now. It is a sure sign of our improvement that we won the match, last season under Lennie with naive players, poor motivation and dull tactics, a performance like that would have been certain defeat. Make no mistake. Mind you, we probably would have had 15,000 watching that misery.

Now we have success, we have 11,000. It would seem that it's not only those Hull followers who need to take a reality check. Maybe it's our supporters who have gone rusty, not our stadium.


Report from FootyMad

A first-half strike by Cameron Jerome was enough to give the Bluebirds victory but they were forced to defend for much of the second half as Peter Taylor's side went looking for at least a point that would help them stay clear of the relegation area.

The Bluebirds made two changes from the side that drew at Luton in midweek Jeff Whitley replacing the injured Kevin Cooper while fit-again Steven Thompson resumed up front.

It was 13 minutes before Cardiff mounted a serious attack but Jason Koumas' corner flew across goal without anyone getting the final touch.

As City upped the tempo Darren Purse headed another Koumas cross just wide of Boaz Myhill's right post.

Cardiff struck in the 22nd minute with a brilliant piece of opportunism from Jerome. Purse headed on and as two Hull defenders and the keeper waited for the ball Jerome nipped in to chip into the empty net.

Two minutes later, Hull missed a glorious chance to level. Jon Parkin raced clear of Purse and had two efforts at blasting the ball into the net from point-blank range but somehow Neil Alexander kept his shots out.

He was the busiest of the two keepers and was forced to dive to his left to push out a shot from Kevin Ellison on the stroke of half time.

Hull pushed forward in the second half and Taylor threw caution to the wind in the 63rd minute by bringing on his remaining two subs. The changes had an immediate effect, with Purse forced to head away a cross from Stuart Green.

Hull were now on top and Alexander was injured as he went down low to save at Parkin's feet.

In a surprise switch Dave Jones took off Jerome and brought on Rhys Weston to bolster the defence but the visitors still looked dangerous. The Bluebirds held on thanks to a series of saves from Alexander.


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