November
Newsfile

Newsfile Archive

Its hard to know where to start. The change in mood was enormus after such a game. At half time City were only guilty of not being 6 - 0 up. Chance after chance went begging and the talk was that we were gong to be punished for not killing the game off already. Then on 70 seconds into the second half Graham Kavanagh headed home from an Earnie cross after the superb Willie Boland put young Earnie through.

Then we thought for a split second maybe we can do this but the feeling was still how long can we hold onto a lead, the answer was approx 8 mins, then we capitulated.

It was not just bad luck or exceptional Bristol City play that saw them get back into the game but total self destruction. Dean Gordon was the main culprit. The signs were there all game that Scott Murray had the beating of him. Twice Murray made Gordon look like a schoolboy defender weaving past him and and twice scoring with ease past Alexander. Both goals within 3 minutes of each other. They were Bristol City's first two shots on target. Their third also hit the back of the net two minutes after their second. More comic defending between Gordon and Young saw Scott on the floor and Murray crossing for Lee Matthews to fire home.

After that Cardiff were shell shocked and went to route 1 lumping the ball upto Leo who had come on for Bonner and Gavin Gordon. Gavin had a poor game. I don't want to write him off but he is really struggling at this level.

In the first half City had 12 attempts on goal, at least 6 of them fair scoring chances. Earnie could have had a hat trick and Kavanagh was unlucky to see his shot come off the inside of the post. The two main talking point were Earnie's inability to score and Gavin Gordons poor play. Peter Thorne would have scored a hatful if he had been on the pitch. Gordon missed several headers when the ball was played in. I don't mean he was out jumped or unlucky, he just never made the effort for them.

Two positives, 1, the first half performance, we were ripping them apart at times, we did everything but score. That happens. 2, Willie Boland was superb. Ran all game and made some great passes.

The negatives. Well three goals again in such comic fashion and the inability to get back into the game speak for themselves.

I mentioned stats earlier. Bristol City had 7 efforts on goal all game, I counted three half chances in the first half all off target and then four on target in the second half, three of them they scored from, the 4th produced a diving save from Alexander.

Cardiff had 17 efforts all game, at least 12 of those in the first half. But of those 17 only 3 on target, one off the post and 13 going wide or over.

Alan Cork said afterwards on the mood in the dressing room

"Players don't worry about it like everyone else. It will not affect them like it will me and the rest of the club. I'm not saying they don't care; of course they do. But it doesn't hurt them like it will hurt me, the chairman and the thousands of fans who cheer for Cardiff City. Players are players. They might pretend to worry as much, but they don't. That's how players have always been - you should know that."

Bristol City manger Danny Wilson said about Scott Murray's demolition of Dean Gordon

"It's unfair on Dean Gordon to say we targeted him as a weakness. I prefer to say we chose to play to Scott Murray's strengths. Cardiff's fans probably expected us to come here and be slaughtered. But, while we rode our luck early on, we had a game plan, stuck to it and it worked."

Now its onto Brentford on Tuesday, City slipped 4 places with this defeat to 10th, it could get worse if we don't win at Brentford. One game could have swung our season, Bristol City went top of the table 9 points ahead of us. We need a killer instinct and some shoring up of the defence. 3 points from a possible 12 over the last 15 days, promotion form? I don't think so.