With Graham Kavanagh suspended for two games next week, City are short on cover.
The only current options to cover Kav’s suspension are to call up Leyton Maxwell (who had a very good game for the reserves yesterday) or drop Jason Bowen out of attack.

Watch this space.

GROUNDS FOR OPTIMISM?

Following a Cardiff City Council meeting on Monday to discuss a confidential report, the immediate future of the new stadium development is in the hands of lawyers to agree a deal.

They are expected to take several weeks (as lawyers do!) to finalise details before they are presented to Sam Hammam.

If all parties are satisfied and the heads of terms agreement is singed, it still has a way to go as the project is so vast that final approval must be put before the National Assembly once Sam has complete a planning application.

Some key points that are expected to be in the terms:
1. The freehold of land to be developed remains in council control
2. The land for the new stadium can only be used for sport
3. The replacement athletics stadium to be erected nearby would have to be built before the present stadium is demolished and the new football stadium built (looks like they've learned their lesson after the Empire Pool fiasco!)
4. The new football stadium would have to be built before Ninian Park is pulled down (for housing to be built there)

KING KAV KICKS A KAIRDIFF LANDAMAAARK

Graham Kavanagh’s 13th goal of the season against Bury on Tuesday evening not only:
-         Gave him his best goalscoring tally in a season
-         Put him 1 behind Earnie as the club’s leading scorer for 2001/2002
-         & kept him ahead of the number of booking he has had this season … just!

BUT it also makes him City’s leading midfield goalscorer since the legendary John Buchanan, John Buchanan la la la la la la who scored a similar number in season 1979/80.

Apart from one having ginger hair and the other having trendy grey hair (I’m starting to try it for myself!), there are plenty of similarities.

They were true Celts in exile, 1 Scottish, Kav being Irish. Both loved to get forward, shoot whenever the opportunity presents itself, can hit a ball with venom and accuracy, love to take edge of area free-kicks. Buchanan undoubtedly possesses the harder shot of the two but Kav probably hits the target more frequently with his efforts.

Both loved to get stuck in also and often booked for silly, frustrating fouls but that’s another story.

Congrats for a fantastic effort to Graham Kavanagh. Let’s hope he signs off with another goalscoring performance against Cambridge this weekend as he will be missed serving a 2 match suspension away at Huddersfield and Tranmere next week due to those yellow cards.

AND YOU WERE YELLOW … BUT LENNIE SEES RED

Lennie Lawrence has warned players that future “needless” bookings will result in players being fined without any appeal being considered.

City have lost Graham Kavanagh, Leo Fortune-West (twice), Willie Boland, Rhys Weston, Andy Legg and Spencer Prior (injured at the time anyway) due to suspension, nearly all of them within the past 6 weeks due to suspensions whilst Graham Kavanagh begins a two match suspension coinciding with crucial away games at Huddersfield and Northampton next week. Kav has the worst record this season with 11 yellow cards.

Fortunately for City, all players are 2 or more bookings away from further suspensions for the 12 game run in to the play-offs but Lawrence is aware that Cardiff cannot afford to lose players at this stage of the season.

Describing Cardiff’s disciplinary record as “not diabolical but could be better”, Lennie will fine anybody for future bookings for dissent or kicking the ball away. Lawrence added, “Fouls are different and can happen but we can’t pick up silly bookings

ANDY THOMPSON’s SHREW(ed) MOVE

Thommo is staying for a 2nd month on loan at Shrewsbury, a move sanctioned between Lennie Lawrence and his counter-part, Kevin Ratcliffe.

Thompson wants first team football and would be happy to sign on permanently at Gay Meadow, City and the player are keen to start talks but await to discuss it further with Ratcliffe.

JORDAN OUT FOR THE SEASON

Transfer listed Andy Jordan damaged knee ligaments in yesterday’s excellent reserve win at Wycombe. Although he has not figured in the first team this season, it is an injury which rules him out of any action this season and possibly means he will not be seen at Cardiff City in competitive action again.

Signed for £30,000 from Bristol City on the recommendation of Bobby Gould, Jordan will enter Ninian folklore, mostly for the wrong reasons. It never helped being son of Joe Jordan whose handball stopped Wales making the World Cup Finals at Argentina’78.

Jordan never helped himself either though. In 3 league and 1 FA Cup appearance, he managed to score 2 spectacular own goals and has never shown any of the high promise that Gould believed that he had.

SAM & RAMS

Sam Hammam meets the Valley Rams in Merthyr tonight at a scheduled just about sold out meeting.

Lennie Lawrence will also attend, taking just 4 days to meet City fans. Alan Cork failed to meet supporters at any function during his 14 month spell, a remoteness that never helped his public image amongst fans.