Good early pressure, ahead with a terrific Jerome goal before half-hour and in total control, City slackened and even showboated but still conspired to miss enough opportunities to have won easy enough. Their lack of a killer approach had to cost and it surely did with a comedy goal conceded on the hour, City were just never able to find the extra gear again as the game petered out into a poor, scrappy closing period and a point apiece.
It had been a huge day, positive week and successful month for City, perhaps it was written in the script we couldn't round it off on a high too - typical City eh?
On transfer deadline day, City went into the clash hoping they weren't going to lose thier crown jewels. Norwich, Birmingham and Charlton all sniffed for Jerome but went elsewhere - Norwich grabbing Earnie who left us last season dreaming of fame and glory and now finding himself with a more lowly club, bizarre game - there were rumoured to have been Premiership enquiries about Koumas but none came to anything there either.
The major news instead fell to an announcement that Asda had joined Costco as anchor tenants for the new stadium project, a move that may well ... finally! ... trigger real progress and a start. Never in the history of football or anything in Wales has a bloody supermarket caused such excitement. Still thanks Asda but can we have clubcard please or Bluebird points?
The evening, thankfully, meant we could be happy with developments and concentrate on some football, that's what we're here for after all. Having secured back-to-back victories over Burnley and Leicester pushing them on the heels of the play-offs and having enjoyed (endured according to some) a tough training break in Portugal during a 10 day gap in the football calendar, Millwall presented a good, although not easy, opportunity to build on it all.
Team news and, possibly for the first time all season, Dave Jones had the difficult but pleasant task of deciding who to leave out. The team have generally picked themselves and there’s been next to nil options over who to put on the bench either.
Suddenly everyone is fit (excepting Paul Parry), nobody was suspended and the squad although now smaller is, for most people, stronger as January saw us wave goodbye (some with hands, some with gestures, some with fondness, some with relief to Andy Campbell, Stuart Fleetwood, Toni Koskela, Alan Lee, Michael Ricketts and Tony Warner). Six out and only three but we had Scottish international striker Steve Thompson, Premiership experience and a utility man in Riccy Scimeca plus a calculated short-term gamble of Guylian N'Dumbu-N’Sungu (or will he now be known as "Dave" after Ali mentioned he should be known as that when he appeared as a last minute sub?).
Not only that but with usual regular Loovens and Whitley absent for the last two games, City won both anyway. However Jeff Whitley was missing and not in the 16 (surely an illness or training knock we weren't aware about) whilst Glenn Loovens had to sit on the bench and await his chance again due to Neil Cox's good form.
In the event, the side was the same that started against Leicester last outing with Alexander, Weston-Cox-Purse-Barker, Ardley-Ledley-Scimeca-Koumas, Thompson-Jerome. On the bench were Margetson-Boland-Cooper-Loovens-"Dave".
Millwall arrived and departed Ninian Park last but one and staring at League One. A (Bob) Banker home win on paper, reality was different. Changes in manager (David Tuttle is their 4th since last May), directors, owner and personnel inevitable took their toll in the start and first half of the season.
The tortuous 0-0 draw with City at The Den in late September was “Miwaw's” 2nd point only of the season, that was their 10th game. By late November, game 20 saw their first win of the season (Norwich the victims) but. even then, they only had 8 points and were seriously stranded. However, the next 10 games before this evening saw The Lions amass 18 points, that's near promotion form. This improvement underlined by Premiership Everton having to come from behind late on to take a replay and then needing a late winner to knock them out of the F.A. Cup. Last week, they held Wolves to a 0-0.
Goals have been their main problem, they’ve scored just 22 before this clash, a tally far worse than anyone but, in another warning, they have been strong on the road. Their record away now extends to 3 wins, 6 draws and 6 defeats, comparing well to any Championship mid-table side, it's home where they have been poor.
They came into this game with mixed player news. Their biggest hoolie these days tends to be on the pitch rather than the terrace. With Dennis Wise gone, Jody Morris (forever a panto villain to City fans after walking out without word to sign for Leeds) was suspended, a real shame. Strikers Carl Asaba and Barry Hayles were amongst a handful injured but they have boosted their squad by signing Dutchman Berry Powel for Den Bosch for £125,000 and midfielders Lloyd Dyer on a free from West Brom (presumably we didn’t want him as we get everyone else from there!) plus Phil Ifilll on loan from Spurs.
The 100 from Sarf London saw their side start with Marshall, Craig-Lawrence-Robinson-Whitbread, Ifill-Elliott-Livermore-Dunne, May-Williams. The other new singings Powel and Dyer started from the bench alongside portly boss Tutill and his assistant Tony Burns, a dead ringer for Jimmy Saville from where I was sitting!
There was a better than expected crowd of 12,328 (we missed break even only due to the complete lack of away support) with the Bob Bank back and terrace plus Grange End looking well populated and creating a good noise on a clear, chilly night who seemed to have got a buzz from the day's news as did City as the game started.
Jerome was denied early on, Thompson caused havoc with a flicked header at a corner, was close with a shot on the turn from an excellent Ardley cross and then saw a header graze the outside of a post. Scimeca threatened to go through the entire Millwall defence alone but picked out Ledley instead who was snuffed and then Jerome fired wide. All this in the opening 20 minutes but just as it seemed City's initial steam was cooling, they forged ahead with a wonderful goal.
Milwall, still not having had any striker at goal and a couple of long distance efforts blocked, made a rare foray towards Neil Alexander's Grange End goal but were snuffed, the ball feel to Scimeca who slid a pass ahead. Whether intentional or not, I'm certain it was, Jason Koumas Magic Boots jumped over the ball and flicked it behind him of the inside on his outside leg, the ball completely dissecting three or four Millwall defenders and sending CAMERON JEROME racing clear on goal. He kept away the last defender and, as he reached the area, unleashed a howitzer straight into the bottom corner leaving Marshall beaten comprehensively. His 5th in 6 games and 16th of the season, not selling him was significant business.
As often happens with City, and for reasons I can never fully understand, they slackened and dropped the pace. It was almost a replica of what happened at Leicester last game in that respect. However Millwall weren't causing problems and City woke up again just before the half-time whistle with Jerome's controlled dipping effort going narrowly over and then, in an exciting three man break, Koumas had options either side but chose Jerome who blasted over from a difficult angle when he should have squared to the unmarked Joe Ledley at the far post. In between that, Weston was booked for a late and unnecessary touchline challenge, so late that I suspect that he's still getting there as you read this.
However, a good pleasing 45 minutes overall, we were in total control but, certainly once again, lacking the killer touch. It was to cost.
Half-time: CITY 1 MILLWALL 0
Half-time entertainment was anything but that. The kicks were ok, it's now a crossbar challenge as kids kicked from the edge of the area as well as ex-Stereophonics sticks man Stuart Cable. However this was accompanied by the worst rendition ever of Bohemian Rhapsody by a City fan on the mic. Who was it? "Put a gun against my head" he croaked as a few thousand fans were willing to put a baseball bat against his head listening to that output. Twas funny though and his performance was better than what was to come from Rhys Weston.
A bit of mind games took place as City stayed back and kept Millwall waiting on the pitch and then Millwall went into a huddle and kept City waiting to restart. A Millwall sub got hugged by Purse and had a handshake from Koumas, it was then I realised it was their fellow ex-Baggie Lloyd Dyer coming on as sub for Robinson.
City found their extra gear again but were denied the crucial second killer goal by denial of a most blatant penalty and their own wastefulness and over-elaboration.
The penalty that never was first. Just two minutes after battle commenced and Jerome was sent clear by Ledley. He was in front of the final defender and going wide of the keeper, a tug on his shirt and then his standing leg was caught. Where Jerome didn't help himself was he didn't go down immediately but, all the same, his balance was gone. It could and should have been a penalty followed by a red card for the last defender but the ref bottled it by turning to his linesman who in turn bottled it too. Debate will take place about how Jerome fell but it was a foul and a foul means a penalty.
Boos rang out for a full 5 minutes but City were playing some fantastic football but, again, we totally lacked a killer instinct. Players sent clear turned away or inside instead of shooting, Koumas was showboating a little but one backflick to send Jerome clear was stunning, Ardley indulged in keepy-up but City were throwing away this spell of complete domination without a telling effort at goal. The only shots being another shot on the turn from an Ardley ball by Thompson which went inches wide and Koumas hitting the bar with an edge of area free kick that he won ... hitting the bar, that is, rebounding back from the Grange End wall after dipping narrowly over first. Another Thompson effort produced a simple save for Marshall.
Talk with fans around me were their worries that City were going to pay for their ways. On 58 minutes, Berry Powel replaced the ineffective May and, seconds later, warning bells rang loud when a simple, crude hit and hope ball smashed out of defence was gathered by Williams in front of Cox, his curler beat Alexander but also his far post.
That was Millwal's first shot of the entire match after City had had well over a dozen. Lesson not learned, 60 seconds later and with their second effort, Millwall were level thanks to appalling, kamikaze Cardiff defending.
Again, Cardiff were attacking deep in Millwall's half, Lawrence won a crucial interception and did as Millwall had done all game by smashing a ball downfield trying a hit and hope ball for Berry. Weston was under it and the only player near it, his defending was woeful. Instead of just heading or clearing the ball, he fatally hesitated and let the ball drop over his shoulder, Berry took up the invite and with Weston apparently still in dreamland and not realising the player had got beyond him, BERRY took the ball, thank you very much, cut back past Weston and drove from the edge of the area past a startled Alexander on his near post, I thought he would have saved it.
Two minutes into his first British game and Berry had scored, he went to the dugout where Jimmy Saville shook his head, disbelieving of what he had just seen and every Millwall player on the pitch including the keeper who ran 60 yards and subs mobbed him.
Now I am someone who believes the criticism of Weston is usually well over the top and he gets unfairly victimised by some fans but that moment and the rest of his second half display showed why he can be at the sharp end of the stick. He was lost on the pitch. Millwall realised this and players were suddenly going past him without challenge, he can also regard himself lucky to see a second yellow then red card as he took out Williams and Berry with mistimed challenges that many officials would have booked for, I think only the theatrics of the fouled players saved him.
It took until 84 minutes to withdraw him, his confidence looked shot and I'd argue he should have been gone off earlier but Dave Jones held off on all subs despite watching City now struggling and the game degenerated into a poor state. City totally lost their way, their fluency and their ability to raise it again after being hit like that, they had plummeted to Millwall's level as the match fell into a match of attack v defence, neither side able to string any move together and the football as basic as smashing balls towards each others defences, by-passing midfield hoping that something would happen. It never did. With Ledley missing out, I felt it worth trying Willie Boland out there and making changes sooner but that didn't happen.
The only attacks in the final 25 minutes were Koumas surges, winning free-kicks that he played for. One was a simple grab by Marshall, two more hit the Grange End, his radar was off-beam, Millwall players were booked on each occasion for the fouls as was Koumas when his frustrations came out and he upended a Millwall player.
Weston was the first subbed player, Ardley dropped back and Cooper coming on. In the 89th minute, N'Sungu replaced Thompson, it seemed too little, too late. There was a late spell of pressure, crosses fired in and over, corners won, Jerome having another penalty appeal but there was no way back.
Purse got man of the match but there wasn't an outstanding contender. It is a source of frustration that we cannot produce a '90 minute performance' and only play well in patches throughout games, that applies to individual players and the team as a whole. We've come such a long way but games like this only serve to prove there's still a fair way to go.
Not a good second half and, as mentioned before, one point gained but two definitely lost. The two sides above us played each other, Preston beat Palace 2-0 and leave us 4 points behind a play-off spot. Palace are that team, we go there Saturday but they also have two games in hand. It has to be games won, at home especially, if the play-off challenge is not going to fall away. Here's hoping for better fortunes with our second South London battle this weekend.
THE COST OF BEING A CITY FAN:
Tickets: £20
Programme: SOLD OUT ... YET AGAIN.
We just never print enough, fed up of it.
Food/Drink: £2
Petrol: £3
Total for game: £25
Total for season-to-date: £2,209
Report from FootyMad
A 16th goal of the season for teenage striker Cameron Jerome was not enough to give Cardiff victory against relegation threatened Millwall who equalised midway through the second half.
The Bluebirds fielded the side that beat Leicester last week but Glenn Loovens had recovered from injury to take a place on the bench.
City had all the early pressure and a Rhys Weston cross was put behind for a corner with Jerome closing in.
A piece of a Jason Koumas trickery opened up the Lions defence at the expense of yet another flag-kick when Steve Thompson's header drifted wide of the far post.
In the 20th minute a Chris Barker cross was met by Thompson but his downward header grazed the outside of the stanchion.
City broke the deadlock in the 28th minute with a superb strike. Riccardo Scimeca slipped a pass into Koumas who sent Jerome racing down the middle. His low finish struck the back of the net before Lions keeper Andy Marshall could move.
A minute before the interval Thompson fed Jerome but his lob cleared the Millwall crossbar.
There was still time for a mazy run by Koumas who again picked out Jerome but the much sought after striker hurried his shot and sent it spinning wide.
Three minutes after the restart Jerome fell in the box after a clumsy challenge but the referee waved play on when it looked a certain penalty.
In the 57th minute Berry Powel came on for his debut up front as the Lions looked to get back into the game.
He was immediately into the action, slipping between the Cardiff centre-backs but his shot was well wide.
But the former Den Bosch man made no mistake in the 60th minute when he turned Weston before firing in the equaliser low into the corner of the net.
Weston was replaced by Kevin Cooper in the 83rd minute after coming under increasing pressure from the Millwall left flank.
City forced three corners in time added on but could not find the opening and had to be content with the draw.