March
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Cardiff City put one foot into the Millennium Stadium with a 2 - 1 win at Stoke City in the first leg of the play offs. A first half strike from Earnie followed by a poachers goal from Leo set Cardiff on the way to a superb victory. It was nearly so much better when Earnie went through one on one in the second half with a chance to make it 3 - 0 but a great save from the Stoke keeper kept it to 2 - 0 and then Stoke grabbed a lifeline when ex City loan player Deon Burton blasted into the roof of the net with less then 10 minutes to go.

Make no mistake the tie is not over, it's only a one goal lead but Cardiff are favourites by a long chalk.

For the neutral it was an epic. Two sides created many chances and a really lively atmosphere. Stoke in fairness to them created chance after chance but Neil Alexander was outstanding and by my reckoning Man of the Match. He has been criticised for letting too many soft goals in but today his shot stopping was superb.

The atmosphere was electric, and full praise to Cardiff fans for being "angels", the military operation in force by the Staffordshire Police went like clockwork and City fans were bussed in and bussed out with no trouble at all. Shame the Stoke fans has to act like complete arses and blight the name of their club. They should be ashamed of themselves.

A crowd of over 21,000 created a cracking atmosphere, it was like a cup final.

The day started early at Ninian Park. Hundreds and hundreds of City fans climbing aboard mini busses, double decker busses and coaches. It was a sunny morning as the coaches all left the athletic stadium car park. I was slightly worried when the clouds came over and I was still stood there with no coach to get on but fear not. When the Rams say you will get a bus they mean you will get a bus. Two Castell Coaches appeared like stallions and we were away.

First proper stop was at Strencham. There were literally thousands of City fans, all good humoured and singing and drinking up the beer they had brought as the last warning from the police came through that no more beer would be allowed any further. Then the coaches moved onto the front line. Stafford was the last stop before the move into hostile territory.

At Stafford services there were more police and equipment that most of us had ever seen before. The burglars in the Potteries must have had a field day as every available law enforcement officer was on football duty. We were taken, 6 coaches at a time, from Stafford services in convoy to the Britannia. Cars overtaking the busses slowed down to see what dead men walking looked like, we really felt like convicted criminals being led for the last walk to meet our maker. So a few ayatollahs and a few v signs made us feel better again that we would survive the day.

Stoke City have a superb stadium. You can see it from three miles away as you approach the ground. We were escorted into the secure away fans area and there was even more police. So may that it seemed like we had one each as a chaperone. Good news when we alighted the bus, the bars in the ground were open. Bad news was it took nearly an hour to get served.

Prior to the game starting a wannabe pop star sang "Delilah" to the Stoke fans. They loved it. It was like karaoke meets Des O Connnor. The atmosphere was building and there was much singing from both sets of fans.

City started the game brightly. Leo shot on target with less than a minute gone and it was only 12 minutes in when City took the lead. Peter Thorne played a slide rule ball for Earnie to latch onto and fire through the keeper to make it 1 - 0. I've seen goal celebrations all season at away games but this was something else. We usually all hug and dance but I think tomorrow I'll be going to see the chemist for a pregnancy test, it was that intense.

City kept their heads while Stoke were feeling the pressure. While the better chances fell to the Potters they were ill disciplined and earned themselves bookings and were winding themselves up.

Into the second half and a Kav free kick was met by Spencer Prior, the keeper pushed the ball onto the post only for Leo to blast the ball home and send City fans wild. That reminds me, I think I'll need two clearblue tests not one.

Stoke fans were struggling to keep their venom to themselves, they were spitting blood at Graham Kavanagh and now two goals down the "girls" to our left could not contain themselves any longer and they were lashing out at the police. The referee had to stop the game for a few minutes while the police secured the area with scores of riot police to keep the Stoke fans contained. It looked appalling and would have made national news if it was City fans. I hope a full report is given to the authorities.

Repeat, the Stoke fans had to be contained, Cardiff City fans just watched in humour as the Potty Potters discredited their club and made themsleves look total idiots.

Stoke were given a lifeline on 84 mins when the relentless pressure paid off. Deon Burton smashed home a volley after some pinball in the box. It gives Stoke a chance they never looked like getting. With no away goals rule it means that City must avoid defeat on Wednesday to progress to the Millennium Stadium

We then returned happy to our coaches and phase three of operation "lets get the Taffy's in and out of Staffordshire asap" began. We were again paraded through the streets of Stoke with an escort that had more out riders than the Queen Mum. Nice looking girls and boys turned into bitter people as they gave us a two fingered effing and blinding exit from the Potteries. The police escorted us to close on Birmingham before they left us to our own devices. On the way down the M6 they blocked services and exits so we did not sneak into a Staffordshire pub for a gloat.

The very nice coach driver that chauffeured us today then made a rather pleasent refreshment stop in Monmouth where we were able to raise a glass to a first leg victory and we tried to suppress talk of the Millennium Stadium. We are not there yet but for sure I'd rather go into Wednesday's game 2 - 1 up than 2 - 1 down.

Lennie has now taken us for 14 unbeaten games, 11 wins and 3 draws. Only two more matches to go Lennie. A draw and a win would end the season very nicely indeed.

Ninian Park this Wednesday will not be a place for the faint hearted but if at the endof the game we are victorious then Wednesday night in Cardiff City centre will be the most amazing place in the world.