Big win re-establishes Cardiff City’s eleven point buffer over Bolton.

I’m not sure if any nerves were being experienced in the City dressing room following what felt like a comprehensive defeat by Lincoln (even if the scoreline didn’t really suggest that) in the game billed as a title decider between the top two and a draw at Barnsley where we started like a Rolls Royce, but then resembled a Reliant Robin for long stretches of the last hour and more.

However, things were certainly getting twitchy among some of the club’s support and I doubt if any of the worriers were calmed as, in complete contrast to Oakwell on Tuesday, their team stumbled through the first ten minutes of their game at Exeter today.

On what could be called the first spring like afternoon of the season, what appeared to be a lively pitch threatened to test our player’s techniques and the early signs were that they’d flunk the examination as possession was lost and passes went astray. Meanwhile, the home team, without a win in their last ten games, were testing City’s resolve with a series of long throw ins that were repulsed without too many alarms with former City goalkeeper Josh Magennis one of the targets being aimed for.

City had purred through the opening stages in their last game to the extent that their goal felt overdue when it arrived in the tenth minute – here though, it felt like they were going to waste the opportunity given them by Bolton in one of the lunchtime kick offs.

Lincoln, of course, had won in one of the other 12.30 kick offs to stretch their lead at the top to seven points, but, at least the side they beat 3-1 was Stockport and so, even if we were to lose today, the gap of seventeen points between the teams looked too big for the other Hatters to make up so late in the season.

Bolton had trailed 2-0 at half time for a second successive Saturday and, once again, staged a second half recovery, but I would have thought that their point from a 2-2 draw would have felt like two dropped against a Rotherham team that were absolutely woeful in both of their matches against us. 

So, City were eight points clear of third place as they kicked off knowing that it could be reduced to six if Bradford were to win at Wigan (whose performance in losing 1-0 at Cardiff City Stadium remains the worst I’ve see from an opposing team this season).

There were three changes from Barnsley with Gabriel Osho, Joel Bagan and Cian Ashford replacing Calum Chambers, Calum Scanlon and Chris Willock, but no change to the formation which sees us playing with a false number nine as Omari Kellyman was again supported by Rubin Colwill.

The latter failed to make a clean contact with Ollie Tanner’s inviting low cross to offer hope that there may be something in the game for us despite our uncertain start. 

Strangely enough, an incident which would only have added to the sinking feeling of the last week proved to be a turning point because, after it, we began to play as impressively as we had done for those opening minutes at Barnsley. The difference was that, this time, we were able to maintain our form for eighty minutes as we recorded our fourth 4-0 win of the season to go with those two 4-3s and a 4-1!

Perry Ng headed an Alex Robertson corner on to the crossbar from close range and Kellyman’s follow up header was blocked on the line by a defender to increase the feeling of frustration following our last two games. However, it seemed like the players took heart from the incident as their poise returned and their simple, but effective, passing of the ball forward, which always looks so easy when they’re playing well, returned. 

Tanner, Ng and Kellyman had efforts which added to the feeling that we had taken control and their captain then provided the goals that ensured that their control would be reflected in the scoreline in the 31st and 34th minutes.

Tanner added to his growing number of assists when he played a simple pass to Colwill who took a couple of touches before blasting a right foot shot reminiscent of the one he scored against the wurzels in 23/24 across Joe Whitworth from twelve yards.

Three minutes later, Osho, very assured here, picked out Ashford with a measured pass inside the full back and the young winger, who had a very good return to the first team, burst clear of his marker to deliver a precise left footed cross from the bye line which Rubin nodded in from point blank range for exactly the sort of six yard box goal that I had said we were struggling to score in Yousef Salech’s absence!.

Exeter had very little to offer in an attacking sense as City continued to pick them apart with a surgeon’s precision so that the only slight criticism which could be levelled at them at half time was that the aforesaid precision did not extend to their shooting. Seventeen goal attempts was probably as many as they’ve managed in a half all season, but only three of them were on target.

At times the second half resembled a training game played at a slow pace. I’ve heard it said that 2-0 is a dangerous lead to have and I’m baffled every time I come across it. I suppose they mean that one goal for your opponent and it becomes a completely different type of game? That makes some sense, but, in this instance, even with the doubts which have crept in this week, I was sure the points were already ours, such was the extent of our control.

That said, there wasn’t much sign in the game’s third quarter that we were going to add to our lead – in fact, it looked like we were going to play out the game fairly quietly, satisfied that 2-0 would be good enough.

Robertson then put such thoughts to bed with the latest Cardiff City goal of the season candidate in what is now a very congested field. The midfielder brought a bout of controlled and patient passing to an end by finding Ryan Wintle and when the player who was my City man of the match (Wintle’s chasing back to cover for sub Callum Scanlon in the dying minutes when we were 3-0 up was the thing that finally persuaded me in my decision), backheeled the ball into his path, the Australian struck a shot from twenty yards which started out wide of the upright, but curled back so much that it flew high up into the net leaving Whitworth with no chance.

This brought the City attack to life and, although they had fewer goal attempts after the break (thirteen), seven of them were on target as Whitworth was given an opportunity to re-confirm the positive impression he made in the Boxing Day game between the clubs.

Whitworth had no chance though in the eighty sixth minute when Callum Robinson, one of five subs used by BBM, scored from close range when another sub, Chris Willock’s shot was diverted into his path by Joel Colwill who had earlier replaced his brother. The doubt I had about this goal was to do with Robinson maybe being offside, but it seems not and so Exeter had suffered the second defeat by a four goal margins in their last four home games.

Exeter had confirmation that it just wasn’t their day when sub Sonny Cox volleyed against the same crossbar Ng had hit earlier, but it would have been no more than a consolation as City, understandably, began to get a little careless in the dying minutes.

It turned into a better day for City with Bradford’s wobbly away form continuing with a 2-0 loss at Wigan and Huddersfield involved in a goalless draw with bottom club, while Stevenage’s win over Wimbledon puts them in sixth place as Stockport drop out of the Play Off positions – Wycombe, due here on Tuesday, also suffered a blow to their promotion hopes as they went down 2-1 at home to Luton.

Two similar games for our age group sides this weekend, the under 21s drew 1-1 at Swansea last night with Jake Davies scoring our equaliser and it was Paul Moreno who brought the under 18s level today at Leckwith in another 1-1, this time against top of the league Charlton as they stay on course for a place in the end of season Play Offs. A quick word too for the Women’s team who, after consecutive defeats by Wrexham on the previous two weekends, beat the same opponents 2-1 in a Welsh Cup Semi Final last Sunday – they now play Swansea in the Final.

Treherbert Boys and Girls Club’s relegation from the Ardal South West League looks inevitable after a 6-1 loss at Goytre. Ton Pentre were 4-3 home winners over Vale United in the Highadmit Championship, while Treorchy Boys and Girls Club lost 2-1 at Cwmbach Royal Stars in Division One West.