Yet again, Cardiff City face questions about their preparation following south Wales derby no show.

From the best to what I would think most supporters will regard as the worst within a week. If Cardiff City’s 2-1 win over Ipswich last Saturday was a season highlight, then the 2-0 loss at Swansea this lunchtime will be thought of as the nadir of our season.

In saying that, I don’t fall into what I’m sure will be a majority – it says so much about our limitations, but I think we’ve played worse this season (Leeds at home, Norwich away and even the win over Millwall spring to mind), but what I will say is that, as was pointed out to me when I tried to put a similar type of argument on the message board I use after the game, I was reminded that I was talking about a derby match against what ninety per cent plus of supporters regard as our biggest rivals and I concede that, given that context, today was up there with recent embarrassments like Swansea 3 Mick McCarthy’s five centre backs XI 0 and Cardiff 0 Swansea 4.

Some of the stuff I read online from City fans last week about the upcoming fixture sounded like Cardiff arrogance. Yes, we’d won four on the trot, but only in the last of them was I convinced by our performance and even then we offered nothing in the way of a goal thread for about two thirds of the time. Swansea, clearly, are nothing special, but, even though we’ve improved from last season, we aren’t either – I think it’s likely that the end of season table will tell us that today was an encounter between two lower mid table sides that weren’t separated by many points.

So, today’s outcome didn’t come as a huge surprise, but the nature of it did. It’s funny what you think of when watching a football game – after about five minutes, I found myself humming one of John Lennon’s last singles, Nobody Told Me (there’d be days like these). I was doing so because it seemed to me that the City team were shocked and taken aback by the intensity of their opponents and the passion of the occasion, they had not seen it coming.

Another thing which popped into my mind while I watched us start as if we’d been woken up by the whistle for the kick off was the phrase “rabbits caught in the headlights” because, having been startled by the occasion, it was as if we were hoping someone would make it all stop when the only people who could do that was those on the pitch wearing blue – – was this down to the sort of arrogance I mentioned above? I doubt it, but, not for the first time in recent seasons, I find myself questioning Cardiff’s preparation for a south Wales derby..

A team surely realises they might be in for a problematic afternoon if, within twenty seconds of kicking off, they are facing a corner given away by a pretty desperate defensive intervention to deny their opponents a shot on goal. That’s what happened to us and the first fifteen minutes were like a siege on our goal.

Now, I’m not saying that Swansea didn’t deserve their win, they did and we could not have complained if the victory margin had been greater, but whereas in the past Swansea have passed off the park while playing some quality stuff, it was not like that today – all that happened really was that they were like a team that understood and lived with the importance of the occasion while also getting “stuck in”.

We did neither of these. Actually, I should qualify that slightly because Yakou Meite pushed his head into Harry Darling’s and very nearly followed Callum Robinson in getting sent off in the early stages of a south Wales derby in Swansea.

Referee David Webb decided a yellow card was sufficient punishment, but Meite could so easily have been heading for an early bath as evidence of how Cardiff had got this game wrong yet again.

It was hardly as if Darling, who has previous in this fixture for behaving like an overhyped idiot, was innocent as he shoved Meite to the floor (Darling was also yellow carded in the incident which suggested that Mr Webb thought he was the instigator), but Meite should not have reacted like he did and it almost seemed to me that he spent the rest of the first half more concerned about his feud with the home centreback than trying to help his team establish a toehold in a game they were being dominated in.

Darling was a very prominent player in the first half with a couple of over dramatic falls to try and get Ryan Wintle a yellow card and a second one for Meite as well as heading against the crossbar when he should really have scored.

Although I look back now and think that, for all Swansea’s dominance, a sometimes nervous looking Ethan Horvarth didn’t have a great deal to do throughout the game, yet when Swansea’s opening goal came after thirty four minutes, it felt well overdue.

There was some controversy about it and, predictably, Erol Bulut chose to feature it prominently in his post match remarks – to be fair, I’ve not heard all that our manager said after the game, but what I have done is not very convincing or accurate in my view.

The point at issue was did Swansea winger Placheta foul Perry Ng as Kyle Naughton’s cross went over their heads? For what it’s worth, I thought when you look at the sort of thing which referees decide is acceptable for penalty area challenges these days, City were very unlikely to get the decision in their favour – I’d have blown for a foul if I were in charge, but what I regard as an offence and what the authorities do these days seem two very different things.

To be honest though, I was more concerned about how Josh Wilson-Esbrand, who was a shadow of the player he has been in recent matches, carelessly conceded possession to Swansea and then how Ng was left with two players to mark on the far post. As I mentioned earlier, Naughton’s cross was always clearing Ng and Placheta and this left Liam Cullen completely free on the far post to slide in what was a good finish on the half volley.

Meite had to be subbed at half time because there was every chance he would be sent off otherwise and Bulut also decided to take David Turnbull off as Callum O’Dowda and Rubin Colwill were the replacements.

Bulut was stretching things a lot I reckon when he claimed the changes he made led to a “much better” second half showing by his team, to return to what I said in post game message board conversations, “less awful” seemed more realistic.

Colwill did add some poise and control to a midfield that had completely lacked those qualities in the first forty five minutes. However, despite the earlier than expected return of Aaron Ramsey meaning that we had some footballers on the pitch who could help put Swansea under some pressure in the closing minutes, the sad truth is that it was another of those games where it’s hard to think of a time where our opponents would have been seriously concerned that they may be about to concede a goal. Indeed, Colwill wasted the best chance we had when he was well off target with a shot from about twelve yards out – Colwill may have improved this season, but his finishing is not of the standard it was in 21/22..

Even if we accept our manager’s bizarre version of events, the truth is that the game should have been over and done with five minutes after the break when Swansea were awarded a penalty after Ng was adjudged to have fouled Brazilian winger Ronald.

This time I have some sympathy with our manager’s view that if it wasn’t a foul for the first goal, it shouldn’t have been one for the penalty. Ng was pulling Ronald’s shirt though, but he started doing it well outside the penalty area. As it was, the penalty decision counted for nothing as Cullen went for the corner and placed his shot a foot wide as Horvarth dived the other way.

The Sky commentators were of the opinion that the penalty miss could be the boost City needed to get them playing, but this was the Cardiff we had to endure through most of December and January unfortunately and at the end I was wondering if Swansea have had an easier home game than this one all season?

Cullen headed a very presentable chance wide, but sub Jason Lowe gave the score line a more realistic look as he broke clear to score in the ninety sixth minute – maybe Nat Phillips could have done a bit better here, but, by the end, I rated him, Dimitrios Goutas and possibly Colwill as our only players who were not some way below an acceptable level of performance – although the likes of Ramsey and O’Dowda do have the excuse that they are on their way back from long term injuries..

To finish on the game, I’d say that what happened today will see the old line about the jacks getting what the derby is about more than us resurrected – I still think this was a match between two pretty ordinary sides, but Swansea’s attitude was the main difference between the teams as their opponents looked as if the whole thing was too much for them..

The under 21s were in action against Bournemouth at Leckwith yesterday afternoon and, like the first team, suffered a 2-0 defeat which they could have lost by more. Better news for the under 18s mind – they were 5-0 winners at Charlton, but no details yet of scorers I’m afraid.

In the Highadmit South Wales Alliance Premier Division, Ton Pentre’s run of good form came to an end with a 5-3 loss at league leaders Cwmamman to leave them in sixth place nine points off the top having played wo games more. Treherbert Boys and Girls Club were not in league action and remain in third place, two points behind Cwmamman having played the same number of matches.

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Seven decades of Cardiff City v Swansea City matches.

On the day after our win over Ipswich, Swansea City took their record in derby fixtures this season to played three, lost three with a limp 1-0 loss to Bristol City at Ashton Gate thanks to a goal scored from a set piece.

With City having a 100 per cent winning record from their three derbies this season, there is definitely a feeling among their fans that the elusive Cardiff league double in the south Wales derby could finally be happening and 1-0 thanks to a goal from a free kick or corner seems as likely an outcome as any if it is to happen.

I’m more cautious though and with Swansea the same five points above the bottom three that we are below the top six, it has to be accepted that, if you think the Play Offs are still on with City, you have to believe that the jacks can still get relegated.

I believe that both events (Play Offs for us and a bottom three finish for the jacks) fall into the very unlikely category, but Swansea have as much of a need for more league points as we do and there’s also the feeling that they owe their fans one after their feeble showing at Cardiff City Stadium in September which was reminiscent of too many of our derby displays in recent years. For those reasons, I think we’re going to have to wait another season at least for a league double over Swansea, although I feel a draw, which wouldn’t be a bad outcome, could well be on.

One other thing, there was a meeting between the sides at Swansea on Monday when their under 21s (who are unbeaten at home this season) took on a City side containing senior players like Callum Robinson and Romaine Sawyers. City were twice behind, but came back to earn a 2-2 draw thanks to a neat finish by Cian Ashford and a crisply hit half volley by Sawyers in injury time.

Here’s the usual seven questions about our next opponents with the answers to be posted on here on Sunday.

60s. With a name that is associated more with another sport, this one club man had a decent record in encounters with City with one, disastrous, exception. He started off as an understudy to someone who I’d say justifies the term Swansea legend and the majority of his hundred and fifty plus league appearances came after the man who had been keeping him out of the team was sold. His one full cap for Wales ended in defeat – who is he?

70s. This forward made his debut for his home town club in a losing cause in a cup tie with Manchester City before being loaned to the first of the two Welsh clubs he played for. On his return, he became a regular for his first club for a relatively short time after he’d patched up an argument which had seen him vow not to play for the club again. He had a prolific goalscoring spell which made him a regular starter rather than the squad member he was for the majority of his seven years at the club. but couldn’t maintain that form and eventually moved to the north east to wear the same colour shirt. He was a fairly regular pick during his two seasons at his new team, but his goalscoring virtually dried up. Goals came at a better rate after a move south to a place with an airport named after it and he soon moved on to Swansea only to break a leg before he’d played twenty matches for them, an injury which played a part in him retiring at the age of twenty nine – who am I describing?

80s. Deer in Park Lane? Surely not – but a forward in Swansea perhaps? (5.7)

90s. Understood priceless rock maybe.

00s. The first name of this alliterative Swansea player from this decade sounded like the beginning of a question and his surname ended with a female bird – can you name him?

10s. He made his league debut for Swansea in a win at the Emirates Stadium during this decade and last weekend was in a team which reached the Semi Finals of a Cup competition, who is he?

20s. Famous uncle meets character from ancient puppet show!

Answers.

60s. George Johnson was Mel Nurse’s deputy until the latter was sold to Middlesbrough in 1962 and for the next three years or so, he was Swansea’s first choice centre half. He had two wins and a draw in four league encounters with City, but was in the Swansea team beaten 5-0 by us at Ninian Park in April 1965. His one cap for Wales came in a 3-2 defeat by Northern Ireland at Windsor Park in 1964.

70s. Phil Boersma was loaned by Liverpool to Wrexham and went on to become a valued squad member at Anfield despite him vowing never to play for them again after Chris Lawler was named as substitute for the 1974 FA Cup Final against Newcastle rather than him. He made a great start to the following season, but couldn’t maintain his form and was eventually sold to Middlesbrough and then Luton. John Toshack signed him for Swansea in 1978, but a broken leg sustained in a game at Swindon meant his time as a player at the Vetch was limited to a few months.

80s. Derek Parlane.

90s. Roger Freestone.

00s. Izzy Iriekpen.

10s. Scottish full back Stephen Kingsley was in a Swansea side that won at Arsenal in the Premier League in his first league appearance for the club and last weekend was in the Hearts side that won at Morton to reach the Semi Final of the Scottish Cup.

20s. Sam Parker.

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