Saturday 13th
February 1999

Barnet
Harrison
Stockley
Currie
Basham
Heald
Arber
Searle
Doolan
Charlery
King (Devine 84)
Wilson

Subs not used
Barnes
Onwere

Report from NigelBlues.
How do you describe Barnet's Underhill stadium? Words fail me. The City fans
were allocated a temporary, open stand behind the goal. It has now been
'temporary' for the 3 seasons I have been going. It is a metal and wooden
structure that you literally feel moving as City fans jump up and down.
However we did not do much of that yesterday. We were also (eventually) given
terrace to the left side of the gound which was shared with Barnet fans
courtesy of a 15 foot high metal fence keeping us apart.

Barnet fans also have terrace at the opposite end of the ground which has 6 to
8 houses overlooking it. You can literally see their back gardens and they,
of course, all closed their curtains yesterday. Even if they did not have to
pay, the game was worth looking at! To complete the ground, they have some
more terracing to the right had side of where City fans were situtated with
one small (not so) Grandstand and another mini family-type stand.

On the pitch, Lee Phillips was given a rare outing at right-back due to
Delaney and O'Sullivan's injury and supension respectively. Presumably,
Frankie asserted that Bowen is still not quite ready for 90 minutes of league
action. Danny Hill replaced the suspended Middleton and played alongside
Fowler in midfield (I think that was the intention anyway, it was hard to tell
at times), Andy Legg stayed at left wing back and Dai Thomas was up front due
to Nugent's suspension.

The pattern for the game was set in the first 10 minutes and apart from a
brief spell in the second half, City were rarely in it as they did not show
anything like their usual fighting spirit. We were performing second best in
just about every area of the field.
The defence were truly awful against a poor and limited Barnet attack, the
midfield did not get into the game and Dai Thomas had an abysmal match. The
value and need of the missing players was there for all to see. To me though,
it proves that Richard Carpenter is the absolute lynchpin of the side. He was
poor yesterday so City were poor. If he plays well, City perform. He is so
crucial.

There was a steady stream of pressure towards the City goal. Barnet did not
look a better side than their league position, it was just that City were
absolutely dreadful.

Hallworth did not have many saves as Barnet's shooting was poor and wayward
but he amazingly stood and let a 25 yard tame free-kick go wide and then
watched in horror as the ball smacked back off the post. Nobody seemed to be
organising things on the pitch and nobody was showing the bottle.

Gradually though, City fought their way back and created chances. The best
were an excellent run from the touchline by Danny Hill to the edge of the area
where he unleashed a 20 yard drive that hit the bar. The best opportunity
however fell to Lee Phillips on 35 minutes after City put a move together for
the first time in the match.

Phillips was clear and through on goal coming into the right hand side of the
area. In keeping with the play, he hit his shot straight at Barnet's keeper
and then pulled his hamstring in doing it! The shambolic style continued as
Frankie got Jason Bowen ready as substitute, the ref prepared to allow him on
and then Frankie changed his mind leaving Phillips hobbling around for a few
more minutes when he clearly was not mobile.

Half-time (and the chance to do something more interesting than watching the
game such as watching grass grow) Barnet 0 City 0

City at last woke up in the 2nd half are started tearing through Barnet.
However all the chances fell to John Williams and he failed to take them each
time. The best was when he initially beat his defender, charged through him
and was clear on goal only to roll his shot wide. Dai Thomas was totally
anonymous, no pace, no presence, no apparent effort and his only shot was one
he half-heartedly hit from 30 yards that duly went another 30 yards high and
wide.

Barnet witheld the pressure and the game drifted back to its comatosed state.
Then Barnet scored what turned out to be the winner on 70 minutes. The move
was similar to Lee Phillips first half chance and their peroxide blonde Steve
Searle right wing back hit no better a shot than Phillips. However Jon
Hallworth allowed the ball to squirm under his body and despite the ball being
kicked away, it was adjudged to have crossed the line.

There was no way back for City as we were not good enough on the day. The
only players who can look back on their performances with some satisfaction
were the 3 Jacks - Jason Bowen (who must now surely be an automatic inclusion
in the starting line up), Andy Legg (playing well enough to retain the left
wing back role and keep Mike Ford out of the side) and John Willams (he
fluffed his chances but he gave 100%), together with the usual comittment of
Jeff Eckhardt (with his head still heavily bandaged from an injury sustained
at Plymouth). The rest of them let us down badly and the fans who were there
deserve an apology for that showing. It was the quietest I have heard 1,100
City fans as we could not believe what we were seeing.

The final insult happened in the last minute as City broke forward with Bowen
who produced a low, measured cross. Rob Earnshaw (who replaced Thomas far too
late in the game) met it from 8 yards and glanced a shot that had goal written
all over it. Or it did until Andy Legg somehow managed to get in the way of
it and deflect it 2 inches wide!! The referee awarded Cardiff a corner. It
was farce from start to finish and it was no surprise to hear the team booed
off with chants of "what a load of rubbish" ringing out too.

Report from Soccernet.

Cardiff City's miserable record of never having won at
Underhill continued when Barnet sprang a shock by
winning one goal to nil. It also ended the home sides poor
run of form with their first win in five games. A forgettable
first half featured only two real chances - a Paul Wilson
shot which hit the post for Barnet after 8 minutes after
some good work by John Doolan, while Cardiff responded
on the half-hour when John Williams saw his 20 yard
effort bounce off Lee Harrison's crossbar. The second
half began just as the first had ended with Cardiff in the
ascendancy. Ten-goal striker John Williams could have
had a hat-trick in the first ten minutes of the second
period. His best chance came after 54 minutes when Hill
played him in, but Williams blasted wide from eight yards
out with the goal at his mercy.Williams was again clear
after 65 minutes. This time he unselfishly laid the ball off
to striking partner Thomas, whose goal-bound effort was
brilliantly blocked by the brave Mark Arber.

But it was the home side who somewhat fortuitously took
an undeserved lead after 70 minutes. A left-wing move
resulted in the ball ricocheting to Stevie Searle eight
yards out. Hallworth managed to parry Searle's well
struck shot but the ball squirmed goalwards and was
awarded by the linesman on the far side.

City sent on all three substitutes to try and salvage
something from the game.

They were unlucky not to do earn a point well into injury
time.

Substitute Robert Earnshaw directed the ball goalwards
but found team-mate Andrew Legg in the way. He
diverted the ball away from its intended target.

This was a shock win for the team 23 points behind the
leaders at the start of play. The home side took their
chances whilst Cardiff, who have now picked up just one
league point in their last four away fixtures, must be
rueing the hatful of chances missed at the start of the
second half.