blueball.gif (262 bytes) Mon 17th Jan 2000 - Target practice on the range
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The full Cardiff City squad are to go paintballing tomorrow in a bid to further bond the players. I have personally been and its a great day out. The idea is to show unity but it has been revealed that they will split into and English team and a rest of the world team. Team spirit is the order of the day as the players prepare for the crunch derby at Wrexham next Saturday. There should be no problem with the guys being shot as they are finding it difficult to hit the target week in week out.

Report from TotalWales.
CARDIFF CITY players will paint the town red this week to relieve the stress of their relegation battle.

But Frank Burrows’s squad will not be unwinding at any city-centre bar or nightspot before setting out for Wrexham and one of the biggest Welsh derbies for years.

“We’re having a day out on Tuesday - we’re all going paintballing,” said City captain Mike Ford after his old club, Oxford, had become the seventh side to draw at Ninian Park this season.

“It’s England versus the Rest of the World. I really think that sort of thing is crucial to get everyone together.

“You’ve got to relax because sometimes people get into good positions in a game and they’re frightened of doing the right thing.

“But we’ll have an enjoyable day together and that should set us up nicely for the Wrexham game on Saturday.”

Ford - who hopes that his 10-year Oxford career will be marked by an end-of-season testimonial against Celtic - had plenty to ponder apart from Cardiff’s delicate league position before the kick-off.

He said a bad back could have forced him off at any time, which might have worked in his favour given that wife Kate was about to go into labour.

“My wife is overdue,” he said. “I was expecting a message over the tannoy, ‘Is there a Mike Ford in the ground?’ Luckily, it never came.”

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Copyright Michael Morris 1999.