Nationwide League Division Two - Saturday 15th April, 2000
Cambridge
United (4-4-2): Perez, Kavanagh, Eustace, McNeil, Joseph; Mustoe,
Wanless (Preece 90')(c), Ashbee, Hansen (Youngs 76'); Taylor (Hunt 83'),
Benjamin. Cardiff
City : Kelly, Faerber (Brayson 61'), Legg, Perrett (Perrett
73), Ford, Bonner, Bowen, Nugent, Eckhardt, Nogan, Carpenter. Referee: Eddie Wolstenholme (Blackburn). Shots
on target: Cardiff 13 Cambridge 6
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Roy
McFarland was able to name his second successive unchanged side for this
massive relegation clash with Cardiff City, while the home side were affected
by injuries to usual goalkeeper Jon Hallworth and midfielder Jason Fowler
. The weather at Ninian Park was cold but brightening up after rain, and
the traveling fans were allocated the big open away terrace. The match
kicked off at 3.06pm to mark the 11th anniversary of the Hillsborough
Disaster, immediately after a minute's silence. The match
got off to a predictably tense opening and Cardiff made most of the early,
scrappy, running. In the nineth minute Bowen's cross was flicked on by
Nugent but Martin McNeil hammered the ball away to clear the danger. Then
after 16 minutes Paul Wanless' pass flicked off a defender's arm into
the path of John Taylor who hit the ball first time from 20 yards, but
it was a rising drive that kept rising. United
came under a lot of pressure after scoring and in the 24th minute Lionel
Perez produced a vital save to preserve the lead. Legg's long throw was
cleared to Eckhardt roughly on the penalty spot, and his first time shot
was brilliantly parried by the on-loan Newcastle United 'keeper. A minute
later Eckhardt's cross found Ford stealing in at the far post but from
six yards out he volleyed over. The U's were under considerable pressure
and there was some 'all hands to the pump' defending at times, which was
worrying as United's goal came from a rare attack. In the
34th minute United suffered another scare when a deflected cross landed
under the bar. Nugent went up with Perez, the ball bounced off one of
them hit the post before bouncing clear. Two minutes later Legg whistled
a 25 yarder just wide, then in the 37th minute Bowen got away down the
right and looked suspiciously offside. Perez came to meet him just outside
the corner of the area, was beaten but managed to forced him wide, then
before Perez could get back Bowen's cross was met by Nugent with a diving
header from six yards that flew just wide of the open goal. Marc Joseph
was booked for a foul in the 39th minute then a minute later Ford fired
a first time shot just wide from 25 yards. Legg was booked for a little
bit of 'afters' on Neil Mustoe in the 45th minute and the half ended with
United in the lead but looking extremely nervous and under a lot of pressure.
Perez had been outstanding with a couple of top quality saves, the defence
had needed to be on their mettle and John Taylor had produced a great
finish to put the U's ahead. The feeling at half-time was that it could
be a long second half unless United could extend the lead. (Half-time
0-1) Cardiff
came out to continue their pressure after the break and enjoyed some early
dominance, but in the 48th minute Paul Wanless' challenge set up Neil
Mustoe and sent him away, his cross found Benjamin but the young striker
was offside so his header down to Taylor and Taylor's neat finish were
irrelevant. In
the 54th minute Benjamin and Mustoe combined to set up Wanless, who tried
to find Taylor but the ball was a yard or so in front of him. Goalkeeper
Seamus Kelly came out to claim the ball but required treatment as the
ball and Taylor arrived at about the same time. Three minutes
later history was made as Taylor played the ball to Benjamin who raced
into the area but was brought down by Kelly. United's history of scoring
from the spot has not been too good recently, and Taylor and Wanless have
missed the last two penalty kicks, but John Taylor stepped up and
as Kelly dived to the left he fired the ball straight down the middle
to make the score 2-0 and record an historic 100th goal for the U's. It
was right in front of the travelling fans and there were wild celebrations
behind the goal which went on for so long that the Cardiff stewards moved
in. United
had the second goal which settled their nerves somewhat, while Cardiff
sent forward Paul Brayson on for defender Winston Faerber in the 61st
minute. In the 62nd Neil Mustoe got away down the right but with four
men to aim at he hit a defender with his pass. A minute later a mix-up
in the home defence allowed Taylor to pick up possession and feed Mustoe,
he found Benjamin who passed to John Taylor in the area and with
just the 'keeper to beat he produced a cool finish to score a fairytale
hat-trick and his 101st goal for the club. In reporter
Mark Johnson's words, "the goals left Cardiff deflated like a week-old
party balloon, and like that balloon Cardiff are going down." Their
only real chance after that came in the 67th minute when a cross fell
to Nugent at the far post but Scott Eustace stepped in to smuggle it away
for a corner. United were comfortable and passed the ball with aplomb,
and there was more delight to come for the merry hundreds of travelling
fans. Tom Youngs
replaced John Hansen in the 76th minute and with seven minutes left John
Taylor left the field to a well-deserved ovation. His replacement was
on-loan midfielder Jon Hunt who has a good goalscoring record at
Premiership and Division One level and in the 86th minute, when Paul Wanless
was scythed down on the edge of the area, Mustoe ran over the ball and
Hunt put the free kick into the top corner. Jeff Eckhardt became the fourth
Cardiff player booked for his nasty challenge on Wanless, who was replaced
by David Preece in the 90th minute. Man
of the Match: Mark Johnson understandably had no hesitation: "If
not for John Taylor Lionel Perez would have been my man of the match,
but John Taylor gets it for another performance of Rochdale signficance.
King of the Abbey." Ref
watch: "I know he booked seven but he had a good game and kept
the lid on a difficult game." 7/10 Adding that he didn't
want to tempt fate, he thinks that if we stay up avoiding relegation would
be a bigger achievement than promotion last year because we were so far
adrift at one stage. You can hear the full
interview on the Abbey Update at 09068 555885. Congratulations to
John Taylor, the King of the Abbey!
U's Net report
In
the 18th minute a characteristically long throw from Andy Legg landed
like a mortar inside the six yard box and was headed clear for a corner,
from which Carpenter hit a 25 yard rasping drive just wide. Then in the
20th minute, and against the run of play, United took the lead. A long
ball from Lionel Perez was flicked on by Trevor Benjamin into the path
of John Taylor who looked to be forced wide but slid a shot across
the face of the goalkeeper and into the far corner. It was a good finish
by the 35-year-old for his 99th goal for Cambridge United, and although
Cardiff protested for offside it never was in a million years.
Hat-trick
hero Taylor spoke to Mark after the match and said we didn't play particularly
well today but "we're almost there".
Results and attendances on Saturday 15th April 2000
Blackpool 0-2 Scunthorpe United 5,542
Brentford 1-3 Millwall 6,779
Bristol Rovers 0-2 Preston North End 10,111
Bury 1-1 Chesterfield 3,021
Cardiff City 0-4 Cambridge United 6,592
Gillingham 2-1 Wigan Athletic 7,746
Notts County 1-2 Reading 4,791
Oxford United 1-2 Burnley 7,549
Wrexham 1-0 AFC Bournemouth 2,597
Wycombe Wanderers 3-0 Colchester United 4,558
Bottom of Division Two table
17 Bury 41 11 16 14 53 56 -3 49
18 Colchester United 42 13 9 20 53 76 -23 48
19 Cambridge United 42 11 12 19 60 58 2 45
20 Oxford United 42 11 7 24 38 69 -31 40
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21 Scunthorpe United 42 9 12 21 39 67 -28 39
22 Cardiff City 41 7 17 17 40 58 -18 38
23 Blackpool 42 7 15 20 42 70 -28 36
24 Chesterfield 41 5 13 23 27 55 -28 28
Cardiff's struggle to avoid falling straight back into the Third Division took on monumental proportions after this crushing 4-0 home defeat by fellow strugglers Cambridge United.
Veteran Cambridge striker John Taylor hit a hat-trick and substitute Jonathan Hunt, who had been on the field only three minutes, completed Cardiff's misery when he scored with a stunning direct free-kick four minutes from time.
Taylor grabbed his first from a narrow angle when Cardiff failed to deal with a long clearance from Cambridge goalkeeper Lionel Perez in the 20th minute. He scored again from the penalty spot after 57 minutes when Seamus Kelly was adjudged to have brought down Trevor Benjamin.
Taylor completed his treble four minutes later when he was allowed to stroll unchallenged through a static Bluebirds defence to tap home from about 10 yards.
Cardiff created plenty of chances in the first half but were unable to make any of them count. Jason Bowen came closest with a well struck 20-yard drive that brought a superb one-handed save from Perez.
(c) Copyright Press Association Ltd 2000
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Veteran striker John Taylor hammered home a hat-trick to ease Cambridge's relegation woes, and send Cardiff almost certainly towards third division football.
The 4-0 win was better than expected from the team who couldn't score one goal against eight men in the first fixture between the teams earlier this season. The kick-off at Ninian Park was delayed for six minutes, in order for a minute's silence for those who lost their lives at Hillsborough 11 years ago.
The game looked as if it was going to be very physical, with Trevor Benjamin getting warned early on. The first real chance of the game came after 10 minutes. Cardiff centre-back Russell Perrett could only aim his header wide.
After a period of Cardiff domination, Cambridge broke away and eventually the ball fell to the feet of Taylor, who blasted just wide. Taylor proved he matures like wine as the U's player-coach turned a long Lionel Perez clearance past the near-post of Seamus Kelly. Cambridge keeper Perez, on loan from Newcastle, pulled off a string of reflex saves to stop the Bluebirds from drawing level.
While Cambridge were on the back-foot, Cardiff didn't seem to have any luck, and Kurt Nogan fluffed an open goal header. As the first half came to a close, Cardiff launched a barrage of attacks at Cambridge, but the U's defence was too strong for the Welshmen.
After the interval, the physical aspect of the game reared its ugly head. Tackles were flying in, reminiscent of those in the Norman Hunter era. The second time Taylor got the ball in the net, it didnd't count as the referee had blown for offside a few seconds earlier. Taylor did eventually get his second from the penalty spot when Trevor Benjamin was brought down by keeper Kelly in the 56th minute.
Cardiff boss Billy Ayre wanted to inject some pace into the attack, and he brought on Paul Brayson for Winston Faerber to do just that. The substitution didn't matter, as Taylor got his third and the match ball after 67 minutes. Taylor easily slipped the ball under Kelly to make it three points.
As the game gew more brutal, there were some terrible challenges, with three bookings in as many minutes - Ian Ashbee, Kevin Nugent and Neil Mustoe being the recipients. U's boss McFarland brought on Jonathan Hunt with eight minutes to go, and it was a good tactical ploy. Three minutes later, Hunt curled in a beautiful free-kick to make it 4-0.
Reflecting on the defeat, Cardiff boss Ayre said: "We have to be philosophical about it, but at this point in time it is very hard."
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EVEN for a man who now has 101 Cambridge United goals, and is also reputed to cook the perfect rasberry souffle, this was something very special. Living legend John Taylor in his 36th year, running off a leg injury, and by his own admission not playing particularly well, scored an extraordinary hat-trick to virtually guarantee his beloved club's second division status. United took an almighty pounding for just about the entire first half of the relegation battle at Ninian Park. But heads down in the trenches, they won the day by peering over the top now and again, and lobbing a few well-placed grenades at their firstly astonished, then stunned opponents. Taylor's goals, Nos 99, 100, and 101 in the black and amber, after 20, 57 and 63 minutes, were his team's second, third and fourth shots of the match. The first, the range-finder whistled over the Cardiff City crossbar in the 17th minute. It was one of his most important matches for United, lifting them well clear of main rivals Cardiff City and Oxford, yet it left him feeling strangely dissatisfied, and you felt, a bit embarrassed to be taking the match ball home. "I've got a hat-trick, but I know I didn't have a good game," he said. "Neither did the team. In fact, we didn't play at all in the first half. I thought I was offside for the first goal, but there was a whistle from the crowd, Cardiff stopped, and I just hit the ball towards the goal really. It wasn't a particularly good penalty for the second, although the third wasn't a bad finish. "Somehow you just get days like this. The defence were the real heroes. They and the keeper did really well to keep us in it during the first half." "Shell-shocked" Bluebirds boss Billy Ayre was right when he said: "We could have gone in 3-1 up at half time." But his team failed to take some excellent chances, and when they did get the ball in the right place, they found centre-backs Martin McNeil and Scott Eustace, plus goalkeeper Lionel Perez in magnificent form. After Taylor scored United's first goal from one of their two attacks of the first half, there were four crucial occasions before the break when a combination of luck and judgement decided the game. One of Andy Legg's mortar bomb long throws dropped into the box in the 24th minute, Jason Bowen hit a blinding drive from 12 yards, somehow Perez stuck out a short-sleeved arm to make a breathtaking reflex line-save. A minute later City skipper Mike Ford, sliding in at the far post, belted the ball over the bar from six yards. In the 34th minute Perez went up with Kevin Nugent as a high ball dropped and got the touch which deflected it on to the top of a post. Two minutes later came the incident which will haunt Kurt Nogan and the Welsh fans all through the summer if their side are relegated. Cardiff caught United pushing up, a rare sight in the first half, Perez had to race out to the edge of his box, but Bowen got past him to hit a cross to the unmarked Nogan running in at the far post. A certain goal. The City fans, who collected £100,000 to buy the striker last month, were well into their celebrations when amazingly he headed wide from two yards. That was when the couple of hundred United supporters behind that goal must have known their team were going to stay up. Somewhere it had been decreed. An equaliser then might have made United realise they were playing into the Welsh team's hands by defending so deeply, and startled them into more positive action. But it seems more likely City would have gone on to win and narrow the gap between them to a single point, with a game in hand. Half time could not arrive soon enough for United manager Roy McFarland, looking on helplessly like a boxing trainer watching his confused fighter taking a pasting. And the players walked in to a verbal battering in the changing room. The last line of defence was performing heroics, but outside their own penalty area United were a yard short and seconds too late at just about every challenge. Taylor and Trevor Benjamin had no chance to hold the ball up to relieve pressure, because it rarely got to them from their outgunned midfield. There was no immediate sign his criticism, advice and warning had got through as Perez had to race out of his box seven minutes into the second half to head the ball clear. But a few minutes later United did what the records show they have done this season much better than the other sides in the relegation struggle, they scored a goal. Benjamin, who assisted all three of Taylor's goals, won a penalty. Six minutes later, with Cardiff pushing forward in desperation, it was 0-3. And a match which had been a knife-edge encounter for 54 minutes, was all over as any kind of contest by the 63rd. Cardiff went on to demonstrate how they got three men sent off at the Abbey this season, colleting four bookings from impressive referee Eddie Wolstenholm. Jonathan Hunt scored with a superb free kick. And Eustace supplied the rest of the afternoon's entertainment, goading the wild Welsh fans who were barracking him, so subtely, the result of those exchanges was also the equivalent of 4-0 in United's favour. Report © Cambridge Newspapers Ltd |
HAT-TRICK hero John Taylor questioned whether City have enough grit to keep them in the Second Division. "It's all about who's got the most bottle for it now. That's what Cardiff need above everything else in the last five games," said Cambridge’s 35-year-old reserve team coach. "We have shown it over the past month to pull clear of the relegation zone. "I reckon it's now a three-way fight between Oxford, Scunthorpe and Cardiff to finish fifth from bottom. Chesterfield and Blackpool seem doomed. Oxford have a couple of extra points so they look favourites to stay up. But Cardiff have a game in hand and it's all about having the ability to keep your nerve, roll up your sleeves and grind out results. "There’s nothing pretty about fighting for survival. You have to scrap your way out of trouble." An abundance of City commitment was not sufficient on Saturday, though. Woeful defending and feeble finishing led to a calamitous seventh home defeat of the season. Ninian Park, where they have won only four times in 21 league games, has become the graveyard of City's Second Division hopes. City should have scored at least three goals in a dominant first half. Even with a predictable route-one strategy, they created chance after chance launching the ball into the Cambridge penalty area. They fluffed all of them. Russell Perrett headed wide from Winston Faerber's accurate free-kick and Kurt Nogan failed to react to another telling cross from the full-back. Huge Andy Legg throws bounced invitingly in the six-yard box to no avail. Mike Ford stretched to volley wide from close in. The misses went on and on, the worst a sitter by Nogan when Jason Bowen beat the offside trap to supply a superb cross from the by-line. Nogan, lacking the sharpness and predatory instincts that have netted him more than 100 league goals, was a major disappointment in his first home game alongside Nugent. He could not make the most of another clear-cut opening his industrious strike partner created in the second half. City's best effort, a rasping Jason Bowen drive in the 23rd minute, produced a stunning reflex save from French goalkeeper Lionel Perez, the former Sunderland man on loan from Newcastle. Controversially the under-siege visitors had taken the lead two minutes earlier. A whistle was clearly heard as Trevor Benjamin headed on. Taylor was clearly in an offside position and City defenders hesitated as he lashed a cross-shot past ’keeper Seamus Kelly. "I heard a whistle and thought I was offside," admitted the veteran striker. "So did everybody else, including the Cardiff centre-half and goal-keeper. I kicked the ball in frustration, thinking play had been stopped. It went in and when I turned I was surprised to see the linesman didn't have his flag raised. "Only then I realised someone in the crowd had blown the whistle and it was a goal." It was the beginning of a personal nightmare for Kelly, deputising for the injured Jon Hallworth. Desperately trying to correct a mistake by Jeff Eckhardt, the Irishman was penalised for bringing down Benjamin and Taylor coolly beat him from the spot to notch his 100th goal for the club in the 56th minute. Dreadful defending by Perrett, Eckhardt and Ford over what should have been a routine clearance, allowed Taylor to complete his hat-trick seven minutes later. Dead-ball specialist Jonathan Hunt added an 86th-minute fourth goal with an unstoppable free-kick within two minutes of replacing Taylor. Manager Billy Ayre headed up the M4 soon after the match to run in yesterday’s London Marathon and raise funds for the Bobby Moore Fund for Imperial Cancer Research. Asked if he would be wearing any special outfit, he said wryly, "I'll be impersonating a Football League manager. "Seriously, though. You need motivation to run a marathon and I've got absolutely none after that result. but I'll go through with it," added Ayre, who won his own four-year fight against cancer in February. "We play Caernarfon in the FAW Trophy semi-final second leg on Monday but all I've really got on my mind is the next league game at Oldham on Saturday. I've got to get the results to keep Cardiff in Division Two. I'm giving this club 24 hours of my time, firmly believe in what I am doing, and the players are trying to carry out my instructions to the letter. "Obviously they are very despondent at the moment. It's my job to lift them before the Oldham game."
Report © Western Mail & Echo Ltd |
One of the strangest games of a strange season.
The first half was totally one-sided in favour of Cardiff and we really couldn't believe our luck in being 1-0 up at half-time. We were having great difficulty in coping with Cardiff's one tactic of using Andy Legg's prodigious long throws to get high balls into the box, and our midfield simply wasn't at the races. Our heroes were Scott Eustace, once again a colossus at the back, and Lionel Perez, despite punching one "clearance" onto his own post. I firmly believe that if Marshall or Ise had been playing, we would have been behind at half -time, but the man's confidence and presence are truly inspirational. Even when he was caught out of his goal once, Bowen's cross was headed wide by Nogan of an open goal under pressure from our frantic defenders.
Shaggy's goal looked soft from our vantage point at the far end, a shot from a narrow angle beating the keeper to nestle in the opposite corner.
After presumably a good talking-to during the interval, United came out determined to impress themselves on the game and to stop Cardiff's tactics at the source rather than try to cope with a further barrage of up-and- unders. Then two quick goals from the mighty legend himself, including a courageous penalty, turned the game completely, and the final half-hour was frankly a stroll. Jon Hunt's Beckham impersonation was the icing on the cake.
Most amusing incident(s): Legg had ballboys using towels to dry the ball for his long-throws during the first-half, all tolerated by the ref despite such a tactic having already been banned for Tranmere's Dave Challinor earlier in the season [consistency? wassat?]. Imagine then the Cardiffians' reaction in the second half when first Marc Joseph, then Jason Kavanagh, made a point [under orders?] of stopping to insist that the ball be towelled dry before their own throw-ins! This "tactic" died a death after that.
Least amusing incident: Certain Cardiff supporters' blatantly racist barracking of Eustace in the second half ("n" word prominent). Thankfully Scott reacted well, smiling superiorly and gently taking the piss. No action taken, of course :-(
Most bizarre sight: The mass exodus of dozens of Cardiff fans after Shaggy's third, a good half-hour before the end! I can't understand the mentality of people who leave even a few minutes early, but 30 minutes...? We feared that they would be forming a "reception committee" for after the game, but the only trouble I witnessed was one or more cretins throwing stones over the fence at the away end. The police had worked out an alternative route out of town for the coaches, so no repeat of the Reading incident, thankfully.
All in all a fantastic result, and the Shaggy legend just keeps growing. I seem to remember some fairly important goals at Rochdale about this time last season! Cardiff's problem, as we thought, was that they can't hit the proverbial cow's arse with the equally proverbial banjo. Nogan hasn't improved this state of affairs. Presumably they thought that by lumping the ball into the area enough times, the law of averages would take over. Are they employing John Beck as a consultant??
By no means a vintage performance by many players [Ashbee in particular was well below his normal standard], and I'd be greedy if I said I was disappointed that Trevor didn't continue his record. But safety is now SO close...we could even overtake Colchester if we beat them next week. By my calculations, if we win just 1 of our last 4 games, and Scunthorpe lose just 1 of their last 4, and Cardiff lose just 2 of their last 5 [more than likely], we are safe!!
Yep...the U's ARE staying up!!
Andrew.
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What a fantastic day! Even the rain held off (we were stuck on a terrace that made the allotment end seem alluring). To top it all Oxford lost to two goals in the last 5 minutes. Never mind that the tea tasted like ditch-water (and cost 70p!). The Us have consigned Cardiff to the dustbin of the 3rd division with a powerful performance full of character and tinged with luck.
If our shots to goals ratio was always this good we would be pushing for promotion. Cardiff on the other hand put so many balls across (including some testing long throws), but they had no one to finish it. The highlight was a glaring miss from Nogan, stooping to head into an open net from 3 yards and missing. The sound of laughter on the terrace must have hurt.
But we had Shaggy, one of the greats (up there with Bill Cassidy from the Southern league days) 5 shots, 3 goals, 1 disallowed goal and one over the bar. Not bad.
My man of the match (Shaggy apart) was Paul Wanless. A solid tower at the back. Brilliant U's.
Man of the Match: Paul Wanless
Graham Rogers |
It was an ugly afternoon on the pitch, an ugly afternoon off the pitch and at 90 minutes, the result and performance summed up Cardiff City's season on and off the pitch - a complete shambles.
City showed one enforced change from the side who acquitted themselves brilliantly at Preston - Shay Kelly, suffering with chronic flu, replaced the injured Jon Hallworth in goals with the untried and untested Pat Jennings (son of the great one) as substitute keeper. It could only be Cardiff City who could self-inflict this damage on themselves, the irony being that the keeper they refused to play, who wanted to stay and who was even house hunting in the area, Ian Feuer, was playing for West Ham in the Premiership!
In front of a crowd not as great as expected including 200 visiting supporters given the Grange End instead of the Grandstand and a subdued atmosphere, the game started at 3.06pm with an impeccably observed 1 minute silence in memory of the Hillsborough tragedy, the support were whipped up by City having the "super huddle". All the players had a huddle but, as at Preston, Billy Ayre, George Wood, the subs and probably the tea lady all join in. Maybe the travelling support should do this when we get to Stoke in a couple of weeks time.
City started well and took the game to Cambridge. They failed to create real danger in the early stages however, a combination off Nugent and Nogan not winning balls in the air, Cambridge's defence were dominant in that department all afternoon, and play that was too hurried at times (it was 100 miles per hour and nobody was putting their foot on the ball which inevitably lead to mistakes).
The first time Cambridge got near the Cardiff goal was after 15 minutes and it could have been disaster. Perrett passed diagonally but hit the ball straight to Trevor Benjamin, Mike Ford missed a clumsy challenge altogether and veteran Cambridge player/coach was clear on goal. He hit a rising shot first time from 20 yards which flew over the bar.
Despite Andy Legg taking every throw in and corner in the Cambridge half, the biggest threats were from Jason Bowen runs causing panic amongst the Cambridge rearguard every time he advanced and Faerber crosses. After realising his balls in the air were getting no success, Faerber curled a beautiful low ball across goal made for natural goal poachers such as Kurt Nogan to touch home except there was no sign of Nogan and Cambridge's short French loan keeper, Lionel Perez, (we let our goalies leave us, they sign quality) smothered comfortably. Nogan was missing in action all afternoon. He was not really helped by Nugent having a poor game but he never got going at all.
Cambridge seem to have the Indian sign on Cardiff at Ninian Park, we haven't beaten them here for years. And why is officialdom always a factor too? After Barry Knight's histrionics in the corresponding game last season plus David Elleray's expertise at The Abbey Stadium, it was perhaps to be expected that officials would help ruin the afternoon. On 20 minutes, they did it in style as Cambridge took the lead with a blatantly offside goal.
Trevor Benjamin flicked a header into space near the touchline, the City defence fatally paused waiting for the linesman's flag. They should play to the whistle but perhaps it's natural to do this when the player concerned, Taylor, is standing a couple of yards offside and in front of him. But he did nothing. Taylor turned, hit a low effort across goal and Kelly, slightly out of position, saw the ball go across him and into the far corner. It was similar to Taylor's winner at Ninian last season but that's where similarities end.
The referee, Eddie Wolstenholme, looked at the linesman (from Bristol) and seemed to mouth "are you sure?" as if he had been expecting the flag. Taylor turned and looked at the linesman as if he was expecting to see his flag in the air. The Cambridge subs seemed to have been chatting to him and were continuing some sort of argument but nothing happened. A goal was given and there was a stunned disbelief. Taylor knew it wasn't a goal, his face said it all, as did his reactions. No celebrations, he was embarrassed. Relegation is decided on what you do over 46 games but, at this stage of the season, it's moments like this that help seal your fate too.
Bizarrely, the Cambridge subs and the Manager, McFarland, still seemed to be unhappy and complaining. What was that all about? After the restart, Wolstenholme stopped to have words with Billy Ayre and the 4th official and Billy seemed to be having a running argument for the next few minutes.
The inconsistency and different standards of referees was never better demonstrated than today. At the Abbey Stadium, Cardiff committed 9 fouls but had 3 players sent off. In the first half, Benjamin personally committed 5 or 6 fouls but after being booked early for elbows, Wolstenholme seemed loathe to take further action, other than award free-kicks and have little chats which was incensing fans and players alike. It also defied belief that Benjamin, a brick outhouse in the Emile Heskey mould, was "felled" to the ground every time he was touched. The only thing missing were judges to award marks for his dives.
The rest of the first half was all Cardiff City as they attacked furiously, it was one way traffic, Cambridge looked poor and were there for the taking. How we were trailing at half-time, I will never know. A fairer reflection of the half should have been City 2 or 3 goals clear but there's nothing new about having the chances and missing them this season, is there?
Jason Bowen produced a smart save out of Perez with a snap shot from 15 yards, Mike Ford blazed over when a brilliant curling centre from Faerber was met by him 8 yards out, Carpenter hit a piledriver as a cleared header fell to him from 30 yards out (huge roar even if it was 10 yards wide!), Ford was inches wide with a 25 yard blistering effort that had beaten Perez, Kevin Nugent hit the bar from 4 yards as Perez tried to punch a high ball but missed, Perez was also beaten by low drives from Legg and Bonner but the miss of the afternoon, and the season!, occurred on half-time.
A superb Bonner through ball put Jason Bowen free. Perez had a rush of blood and charged out of goal to meet him on the far edge of the penalty area, Bowen flicked the ball wide, swerved past Perez and left him stranded. He steadied and with 3 defenders desperately chasing back, Bowen hit the perfect ball to the far post to find Nogan diving with the goal empty and inviting, he couldn't miss. But he did! He headed a foot wide unbelievably. He would have scored 99 times out of 100, why did it have to be the one time he'd miss it today? This happened in front of the Cambridge fans on the Grange End, how they loved it.
The half ended in more uproar, the City support had concentrated their focus on the Brizzle linesman and wildly clapped and cheered him when he finally gave a couple of correct decisions. But his partner took over as he gave handball against Andy Legg who grabbed the ball as it went/was going out of play to take a quick throw in.
Legg was clearly unhappy and fired up. Moments later, he produced a ferocious tackle that Cambridge players reacted to, then Cardiff players and but it was handbags at ten paces stuff. Handbags are appropriate attire for some City players' performances and demeanour this season. Legg was yellow carded but I'm not sure if it was the tackle/foul or what followed.
Apart from the missed chances and the scoreline, the performance had been good. The only thing you could really criticise was that City were too hectic and frantic, it was all 100 mph, how we needed someone like Danny Hill just to put their foot on the ball.
Half-time City 0 Cambridge 1
Cardiff started the second half with continued pressure in the Cambridge but it was noticeable the there were no efforts at goal and the mood was starting to turn tense and ugly. It wasn't helped by blatant time wasting tactics by Cambridge players. Their Captain had a throw on half way and grabbed a towel off the ball boy to spend the next 30 seconds wiping the ball. The referee spoke strongly to him but unlike Legg, who hurls it up to 40 yards, the following throw in was little more than 40 inches. A minute later, a Cambridge defender did exactly the same thing near his own goal. Have we got the thickest ball boys in football?
Moments later, Shay Kelly appeared to be badly injured as Taylor winded him following through a long ball. He recovered but a couple of minutes later, the wind was taken out of every City player and fan in the ground.
It was so simple as a Perez boot upfield was touched on and Benjamin raced through clear to be met by Kelly charging out. Benjamin was going away from goal but there was a collision and the ball seemed to deflect away for a corner. The ref had little doubt - penalty. One City fan who was well placed said that Kelly missed the ball but Benjamin was unlikely to get it either. There were fears Kelly would be sent off but he was yellow carded, the fact that Benjamin was not going at goal probably saved that fate.
Taylor sent Kelly the wrong way, 2-0, that looked about it. City responded by introducing the least deadly striker in football, Paul Brayson, for Winston Faerber and Brayson made sure he kept his reputation intact by showing or doing very little in his half hour cameo classic. Any thoughts City could come back were over on 66 minutes as, unbelievably, Cambridge scored their 3rd goal of the game with their 3rd shot on target, 4th shot of the match and only the 4th time they got near the Cardiff goal too. It just wasn't our day.
This was a third division goal and we'll probably see more like this next season. I can't even explain what happened at the rear as the ball seemed to evade two or three flimsy challenges by inept defenders, the ball fell to Taylor and he rolled it past Kelly for the simplest of goals and his hat-trick. Cambridge fans were in full party mode, the response by hundreds of Cardiff fans was numbed silence, no protests, no boos, they just got up and walked away. You get the feeling it will be a while before they're back.
Those who stayed were as deflated as the players who had gone, their heads were down and the atmosphere was more like a pre-season game. Or it would have been if it wasn't for the arse that goes by the name of Scott Eustace in Cambridge's defence and some of the lowlife that associates itself with Cardiff City.
That Eustace was deserving of scorn by inciting the crowd is undeniable. It started with a break in play and in front of the Canton Stand, he got a bottle of water from the goal, held it about 4 foot from his mouth and spayed the water in his mouth clearly looking at the Canton Standers and trying to create a reaction. It was extreme arrogance. As he walked away, he did it in a style that was clearly "larging it" and intended solely to incite.
Then a minute later, the ball went behind for a goal kick and Eustace started playing basketball in front of the Canton Standers by crouching down and literally bouncing the ball up and down off his hand for about 10 seconds or more. Cardiff supporters were incensed and sadly, it was more than enough for some meatheads who picked on his most obvious feature - his skin colour. A few monkey noises started, absolute disgrace, but Eustace's reaction? To turn to the Canton Stand and Grandstand, laugh and walk upfield in an ape style. Within seconds, it wasn't a minority in Block F of the Grandstand but loads of pillocks producing monkey noises and even actions. A chant of "you black bastard" was very audible too. Kurt Nogan exchanged words with Eustace but he saw that as another challenge and started to goad Nogan too. It was sickening.
Cardiff City are a club who boast/advertise their stance on racism but as per an incident I was involved in last season, they do absolutely nothing when confronted with it. As with so many things at the club which is why it is rotten, it is a caseof all talk and no action. The stewards stood and looked, even though some were doing it in front of their faces. It was within a fraction of becoming very ugly as true fans, incensed as the behaviour of the scum who attach themselves to the club, become involved in slanging matches that were on the edge of descending into violence. Some got up and left rather than continue being involved in that atmosphere any longer.
I hope the club act swiftly, monitors its CCTV, identifies and bans those responsible for the saddest/sickest episode I have seen all season with Cardiff City. Those "supporters" are a disgrace to the club. It was a reaction to Eustace's actions. After all, Cardiff have black players, Cambridge had other black players, only one was getting abuse but that behaviour deserves condemantion of the highest order by every real supporter and the ultimate sanctions - a ban - by Steve Borley and all inlvoed at Cardiff City F.C.. It has no place either at a football match or anywhere else on this planet.
That's doesn't excuse Scott Eustace though. He was a disgrace not only to black footballers, but all footballers who can call themselves professional. At least a couple of supporters reacted in the right manner and reported Eustace for the most blatant crowd incitement in a long while.
For what it's worth, Cambridge scored a 4th goal on 87 minutes. A free-kick on the edge of the area was brilliantly blasted high into the opposite corner and in off the bar by substitute, Hunt.
Eustace's reaction? He turned to the Canton Stand, Grandstand and even the Family Enclosure (you sicko) and started laughing, whilst holding his belly. He got the reaction he wanted from the neanderthals but that nobody else in that part of the ground wanted and responded to it. Thanks for nothing Eustace - you're a pillock.
It was all over, City looked down and out. Except Oxford lost at home in the final minute, City are still only 2 points from survival with a game in hand and our fate remains in our own hands. How can we go to Reading and Preston, look so professional, hardly give the opposition a chance and produce at home like we have against Burnley and Cambridge in the last fortnight? The home record is appalling.
We probably don't deserve the chance to survive but the mood afterwards was that we are down. They say where there's life, there's hope. Sorry but it looked terminal to me. The only life seems to be the prospect of trips to Hartlepool, Rochdale, Mansfield and bloody Kidderminster and Cheltenham in a few months time. What a disgrace.
Nigel.
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