Cardiff City, as Lennie promised, were unchanged from those who played so well in the 0-0 against West Ham at the weekend. That meant Alexander, Croft-Gabbi-Vidmar-Barker, Langley-Kav(Capt)-Bonner-Robinson and Gordon-Earnie. Not that The Gaffer had many options with injuries and suspensions robbing The Bluebirds of at least 3 starters but everyone involved certainly deserved their place. Richard Langley was starting ahead of a one game ban at Burnley this weekend whilst Gavin Gordon’s nasty looking leg injury late on last Saturday evening turned out to be severe cramp.
The sub’s bench is rarely worth mentioning as so few of them see more action under Lennie than bench warming, some stretches, charges up and down pitchside and, maybe, slicing up the half-time oranges … maybe not. But tonight Lennie called up Stuart Fleetwood to join Collins, Prior, Margetson and Julian Gray. Presumably Gareth Whalley had an injury, I’m sure he would have been there otherwise.
Pre-game rumours came from the club that Willie Boland would be on the bench as they believed his recent red card at Crystal Palace incurred a 2 game ban instead of the usual 3, it was wrong.
Watford have recovered from a difficult start to the season. Their opening day home fixture to Coventry was postponed after Jimmy Davis, on a season’s loan from Manchester United, was tragically killed in a car accident hours before kick-off. They promptly lost their next 3 fixtures and dumped at the foot of the table. Results picked up with some inconsistency but they arrived at Ninian Park unbeaten in 6 (admittedly against mid-table to lower placed sides) and successive away wins at Crewe and 3-1 at Wimbledon last weekend. For all that, they kicked-off within 4 points of City.
Ray Lewington calls his system 4-3-3 but it wasn’t conventional. His side revolve around a couple of pivotal players and a good blend of promising youth and ‘been there, done it all’ experienced pro’s.
In goal was Lenny Pidgeley on-loan from Chelsea (I bet he can forget ever getting a game there), defence were Steven Kelly (currently loaned from Spurs and who played at Millennium Stadium for QPR against City), Neil Cox (Captain with bags of Premiership experience for Villa, Boro and Bolton), £900k signing Marcus Gayle (forward turned defender and well known to Sam from Wimbledon days) and Wayne Brown.
The axis of the team was Neil Ardley (another ex-Wimbledon boy) who linked his defenders to the team going forward who were Paolo Vernezza (brought up at Arsenal with Rhys Weston) and Jamie Hand. Going forward were tricky winger Paul Devlin, Danny Webber (on loan from Man United) and Scott Fitzgerald trying to create some drama.
With the clocks back an hour for the winter, it was dark by and pitch black by 6, cold and, shock of shocks, raining before kick-off and all night. So when was the last time City played in rain? “Hats, badges and scarves” who sells his clobber by the railway bridges concentrated on hat sales with City fans buying up his £5 winter headgear.
As for the game, well let’s just forget the first half-hour, shall we? The only fireworks were those going off in the surrounding neighbourhood.
Both teams, City especially, took time to come to terms with the novelty of wet, greasy conditions which saw a few players slipping about. Both teams were too similar as Kav matched Ardley’s style in front of City’s defence. Watford passed well but usually looked for Devlin and Barker was playing him well, Gabbi and Vidmar controlled the middle, whilst Cardiff worryingly found problems getting Barker and Croft forward and relied on long balls through the middle where had things pretty well covered.
In that opening spell, Watford never had a sight of Neil Alexander’s goal whilst City could only reflect on an early Kavanagh shot which sailed over and the ever excellent Tony Vidmar going closer meeting a Kav corner with a near post deflected header that whistle just over.
Richard Langley had a good edge of area opening after a good move but didn’t shoot, it was a fault in City’s game as way too often throughout the match, Cardiff were guilty of over-passing and trying to walk the ball home when shooting opportunities were available, they need to sort it out.
It was a game badly in need of inspiration, a mistake or a moment of magic and we got it all on 32 minutes when Tony Vidmar hit another long ball, Neil Cox tried to turn it back to his keeper but the blue gloved EARNIE showed why he’s a class act with great anticipation to nip between them, control the ball, take it wide of the keeper and stroke it into an empty net from 12 yards for his 16th of the season, 12 of them at Ninian Park.
With that, the game held a little more interest but there was no more significant action until the closing moments of the half. It started when Chris Barker upended Devlin, a free-kick across goal found Scott Fitzgerald amongst the crowd presented with a gift of a free header but he fluffed it when he really should have netted. The only other time City’s defence felt any danger was when Neil Alexander let a back-pass slip under his foot in front of goal but it had no power so stopped almost instantly anyway.
There were 2 minutes of added time but the referee somehow extended it to almost 5 minutes, enough time for Earnie and Robinson make Pidgeley save and Earnie fire another wide.
Referee was 2nd season official Eddie Evans of Manchester whose record seemed to be more about no nonsense rather than commonsense. Before this evening, the official who was so small and sleight that he looked like a schoolboy out there, had sent off 9 in 11 previous games this season, just 4 of his games had not seen his red card brandished. It never got close to that tonight but he booked Gordon, Gayle and Barker for what were the only moments of contact in the entire period in difficult conditions.
Half-time: CITY 1 WATFORD 0
The 2nd half started in similar fashion to the first period but the game was a little more open. There were chances but nothing to get excited about, Langley putting a 30 yard free-kick straight at Pidgely, Eranie firing over and Fitzgerald registering Watford’s first on-target effort with a simple save for Alexander. A Watford edge of area free-kick hit the roof of the Canton Stand as although the visitors were committed to going forward, they lacked any real punch.
Graham Kavanagh was starting to look the class act in midfield and, several times, he broke up Watford moves and got City racing forward but, again, players with shootings options passed again instead or moves broke down. Maybe it was the conditions but we were too elaborate at times.
Richard Langley showed the way with a darting 25 yard rising drive but it cleared Pidgeley’s bar whilst Kav broke forward into the area and squared the ball for Earnie but it was behind him and he spooned it over the Grange End. John Robinson’s shot hit Earnie and Kav made Pidgeley save a free-kick floating to his top corner.
City looked as though they were easing their way to victory in a tiresome game when Lennie signalled to his subs and Julian Gray prepared to come on. Watford had used 2 subs and about to make their final change but there were ironic cheers as Richard Langley was to be replaced – maybe a sign Gray will start for him at the weekend. With his last action, Langley won a corner that produced City’s 2nd and decisive goal.
Kav floated a ball over, there was a 6 yard scramble followed by a weak toe poke-type clearance to nudge the ball out but only to TONY VIDMAR who capped another special performance by drilling the ball arrow-like right wide of the crowd and plum inside Pidgeley’s right-hand post. It was Vidmar’s 1st for City, I don’t think there’s been a more popular goal this season, Vidmar galloped like a horse to the Bob Bank and City fans and players loved it.
At 2-0 the game felt safe but some credit must go to The Hornets for still trying to salvage things and attacking City. It made the game suddenly go end to end. They finally found chances as Dyer headed wide, Ardley made Alexander save and someone shot low across goal missing the far post by a fraction with Alexander looking beaten.
But City had chances too, Robbo shot wide, Earnie should have done better when set up by Gray who is exciting on the ball and finished things off with an excellent third goal. Kav won the ball inside his own half and set up a high speed move involving Barker, Robbo and Earnie who got into the area, played the ball across the area to KAVANAGH who took one touch and fired wide and low of Pidgley, the ball finding its way home off the inside of the post. City players all dived and skidded across the pitch Klinsman-style.
Lennie rounded off the night by using his full complement of substitutions as Gavin Gordon was replaced by James Collins and Stuart Fleetwood made his league debut with about 4 minutes in place of Earnie, enough time to snatch a shot wide.
It capped an excellent result from a competent performance in front of 14,011 – a good crowd but the lowest league gate of the season so far. That included 350 or so Watford fans who gave their side some good vocal backing until the game went beyond them.
City’s defence kept a home clean sheet for their 5th successive First Division match, truly excellent. Vidmar and Gabbidon are an unbelievably good partnership but Croft played really well too and Chris Barker deserves credit too for keeping the ever-dangerous Devlin out of the game. Mark Bonner had, for me, his best performance yet in midfield. Kav’s goal was enough to win him man of the match, edging out Vidmar. Robbo was his usual self, Langley may benefit from his enforced rest, Earnie did what Earnie does and Gordon did o.k. but didn’t manage an effort on goal all night to the best of my memory.
The result, on a night when this was the sole Division One game, was Watford’s worst result of the season and made them drop two places to 19th due to their worsening goal difference. More importantly, it took City up a place to 11th and with the best goal difference, to within 1 point of 8th. They lay 4 points off the play-off berths, 7 off automatic promotion and for those looking for consolidation, well, we’re 10 points above the relegation spots.
An excellent position at the end of October. Let’s be truthful – that’s far better than any of us expected or predicted at the start of the season.
Well done to Lennie and his players – now take us even higher!! :>)
Report from FootyMad
Goals by Robert Earnshaw, Tony Vidmar and Graham Kavanagh gave the Bluebirds victory but it was not a vintage performance.
Even after Earnshaw's 32nd minute opener, when he took advantage of a glaring error by Hornets skipper Neil Cox to net his 16th goal of the season, Watford still looked capable of causing an upset.
Hornets boss Ray Lewington felt the absence of a cutting edge cost his side at least a point.
"If you count how many times we were on the edge of the box you will find it was far more than Cardiff, but we just can't score.
"We didn't feel at all threatened in the first half as we controlled the game.
"We adopted a Kamikaze approach towards the end which is really what gifted them the third goal.
"Cardiff should be there or thereabouts at the end of the season as this is always a difficult place to come and I should think they will also add one or two players to the squad.
"Had we scored then I think the match could have been completely different."Lewington introduced Bruce Dyer on the hour as he sensed there was at least a point available, but it was the Bluebirds who powered through for a slightly flattering scoreline.
The impressive Vidmar fired through a ruck of players in the 76th minute and then Kavanagh wrapped up the victory three minutes from time.
"It was a slightly flattering scoreline but I think we fully deserved the win," said Kavanagh.
"It wasn't perhaps the best we have played and it wasn't pretty, but the first goal settled us down and we are well pleased with another clean sheet.
"Tony Vidmar was outstanding again and his partnership with Danny Gabbidon was superb, but then all the back four had been doing well.
"Five clean sheets in seven games says it all and we will be looking for at least four if not six points from our next two matches."
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