Cardiff City news 19/10/01

Fri 19th October 2001 - Swindon preview

Alan Cork will take an 18 man squad to Swindon this Sunday. He is likely to start the game with the team that drew 2 - 2 at home to Wigan last Friday. The game is being televised live by HTV Wales and HTV West so there will be thousands of fans at home watching the game as well as a sell out 3,000 away crowd. No tickets are available on the day. Do not travel without a ticket.

Squad is Alexander, Weston, Prior, Gabbidon, Simpkins, Bowen, Kavanagh, Boland, Brayson, Thorne, Earnshaw. Subs from Kendall, Gordon, Hamilton, Legg, Fortune West, Bonner and Young.

Gavin Gordon will be keen to see some action in the the hope he can carry on his goalscoring heroics in midweek.

City have not won a league game since September 18th when they beat Northampton 2 - 0 at Ninian Park, two defeats followed and the last three games have all be drawn.

City have not played a league game in Swindon for 25 years, the only meeting in recent times being a 2 - 0 win for Swindon in the FA Cup in 1995.

The 3,000 City fans at the game on Sunday will be treated to an operatic performance from Tenor Laurence Robinson. He will sing a few songs before the game. (I assume operatic numbers rather than soccer chants, I wonder if he knows Men of Harlech).

Seriously Cardiff must start getting some wins. The rest of Division 2 play on Saturday, it is possible we could have dropped to 20th place after Saturdays matches, thats 1 place above the relegation zone. Because of that we will again have upto 3 games in hand on teams above us but last time we did not capitalise.

With approx 1/4 of the season gone we are struggling. Any hopes of making the play offs, let alone promotion are fading unless we can pick up some wins. There is great expectation, and rightly so, after spending so much money.

Alan Cork is quoted as saying "I don't like Sunday's" with referall to playing games on that day. If we lose on Sunday he will be whistling a Boomtown Rats tune as the pressure on him will increase 10 fold from the fans and the press the following day.

Surely this must be the last chance for Rhys Weston and Michael Simpkins to improve the attacking aspects of their game, actually away from home when they are expected to defend more thaey are quite effective but they lack quality to support in attack. We must get some width and service Peter Thorne properly.

C'mon City.