August
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Match report from Neil David.
Attendance: approx 120

City Line-Up:      4-4-2
Kendall
Thompson
Hughes
Jones
Simpkins

Jeanne
Fowler
Boland
Giles

Gordon
Nugent (c)

subs:
Brazier (not used)
Evans (GK)
Fish (Simpkins 75)
Lippiet (Jones HT)
Hayward (Not used)

Disappointing, it's the only way to describe it. The score says they were in fairly well beaten but in reality City's reserve team can look back on a game they should have got something out of,  but of course didn't. The game was played at Almondsbury Town's ground which was briefly Newport County's place of residence when Somerton died and is a pleasant enough place for a kick about. Maybe about a dozen or so Cardiff made the trip and the ground offered little in the way of  facilities but then this is a reserve cup game and at £3 so you can't really complain. The full compliment of the Cardiff City Management team attended and an odd cameo appearance from Andy Jordan in the stand for 5 mins (talking I presume to ex brizzle colleagues ) at  halftime but seemingly leaving the ground before the restart.

Both teams fielded strong lineups with City utilising 2 first team players (Simpkins and Boland) and a wad of fringe players while the Robins played several of theirs including Phillips / Burnell/ Goodridge/ Burns/Matthews.

City again started the brighter and were unlucky not to find themselves infront on 4 minutes when a badly cleared ball fell to Fowler 30 yards outs, he instinctively let fly a low drive which although wide had the keeper well beaten. The pattern of the game was pretty well set City really bossing the midfield but Brizzle having a stronger centreback pairing and the more in-form strikers.

The first goal was a weak affair,  a long ball (one of many this afternoon) fell to Thompson at right back and under pressure he elected to play the ball across goal to Hughes. Unfortunatley it didn't get there,  Matthews an awkward lumbering sort of player latched on to the loose ball and cooly slotted it past the on rushing (and I mean rushing) Kendall (more on him later).

City hit back almost immediatley through a well taken Nugent goal. Jeanne who had their left back skinned for the first 1/2 hour before fading, played a short cross to Gordon who nodded it into the 6 yard area. With his back to goal Superkev controlled it and played it low around the centre back and goalkeeper it was a smashing goal.

Brizzle got themselves a dubious penalty for a Gethin Jones challenge on Odejay on the 1/2 hour mark , both players went shoulder to shoulder and the tall forward ended up tripping over the back of Jones foot. The ref waved play but the linesman and started flapping his arms like he was trying to take off . Cue Boland , Simpkins and Nugent going nuts which eventually meant they were told to calm down by half the crowd (isn't it funny how old retired guys all shout the same way!!) / brizzle bench and the officials.

In the end of course it was all for nothing Kendall saved the penalty. He has obviously been reading the same manual as Bruce Grobbeler because it was the strangest penalty save I have ever seen. As the Brizzle player ran up to take it he was hanging(yes hanging)   from the cross bar he managed to be on the line as the player kicked it slightly to his left which he comfortably saved. As a tactic it worked but I don't know if he would be able to get away with it at a higher level.

The rest of the half was notable for only 2 things , the number of half chances we missed (9 to their 4) and a head injury to Gethin Jones. Just one of those things,  as Odejay and Jones went up for a challenge on the half way line they clashed heads and ate dirt!. Although both played on after treatment, Gethin was subsituted at half time while Odejay went off around the 70 min mark

HT Brizzle City 1 Cardiff City 1

Second half,  same as the first,  a little bit slower and a little worse!

City started the second half with one change Jones being replaced by Lippiet. On first sight he reminds me of Jarman. Big, confident however still very much a youth team player and  pretty well up against it trying to mark Matthews/Odejay while his centre back partner Hughes was increasingly having an off day. He managed a few good interceptions but struggled as the game went on. The brizzle defence on the other hand looked more and more assurred and while Nugent struggled on manfully leading by example, Gordon although a good couple of feet faster than his markers looked less likely to score than Kendall!

Matthews added a second on about 50th min when his marker(Lippiet) lost concentration in the 18 yard area an left him in an acre of space to score a well taken goal.What then followed were increasingly desperate attempts by Cardiff  to get back into the game. Each time the Bristol defence looked well in control. Apart from a few long range efforts , city failed to have any real attempts at goal to trouble the brizzle keeper .

Simpkins went off after a fine display after about 70 mins and while city missed him, Giles had a workmanlike game after reverting to left back.

Lots of  players out of sorts today,  Jeanne worked hard but was nowhere near his first 20 minute best. Gordon and Hughes both looked short of confidence since their demotion back into the reserves. Jones and Giles did ok while Fowler flattered to decieve some lovely touches but ultimatley ineffective. Perhaps the most alarming was Kamakazi Kendalls desire to prove he was the bluebirds answer to Bartez springing off the line at the moments notice to take balls that I felt the defence should have been dealing with but he got away with it this time.

For me despite all their industry Cardiff were too easily caught out by the long ball tactic and instead of learning from several close calls they were finally killed off whilst pushing hard for an equaliser.  The midfield had all pushed and an old fashioned boot up field ended up with an equally old fashioned chase and score from the impressivley named sub Albano Corriea.

This finished the game off  as a spectacle and whilst Simpkins/Boland and Nugent underlined their recent first team squad places, I saw little or nothing else here to warrant others inclusion

Shame really