New signing Krystian Bielik should know that we’re not always this good! I’d voiced concerns after the Norwich game in midweek that we hadn’t had many on target goal attempts in our first two home games against Championship opposition and, of course, against a team that had drawn their first two games 0-0, it was 2-1 to Sheffield United after seven minutes today at Cardiff City Stadium!
The following 86 minutes produced just the one goal and at least some sense of justice was ensured when it went to City as one point was the very, very least they deserved after their second successive 2-2 draw to follow on from the 1-1 opening draw with Wrexham.
After looking somewhat soft and naive as an early 1-0 lead was turned into a 2-1 deficit within five minutes,, City had to endure an uneasy few minutes as the Blades looked to take the game out of our reach almost before it had started. However, after that,Cardiff really warmed to their task as a total of twenty eight goal attempts rained in on the visitor’s goal compared to the six we had to defend.
Once again, you can’t help thinking we’re going to be great fun to watch this season, but, to go with that, we seem to have a habit of starting games sloppily – we’ve conceded in three minutes in both of our home games and could have done so at least twice in that time at Derby.
The shame is that once we’d got past that first ten minutes or so we defended well with Bielik, after a hardly surprising rusty start, impressing with a showing full of poise which showed any one unfamiliar with his career history that he is, if anything, more of a natural midfield player than a defender.
Indeed, Bielik had three of those twenty eight goal attempts with two of them being among our ten on target efforts.
For me, City are going to win more than they lose this season if they keep on playing like that. That’s not to say we don’t still need a few more in before Tuesday night because I don’t think we have the squad depth to maintain the standard we saw today and in the first half at Derby,
City moved Joel Bagan to left back in place of Ronan Kpakio to accommodate Bielik in the only change from Derby as they took on a Sheffield United side that possess a strong looking squad,. However, after losing their parachute payments, the Blades are reduced to signing loans and free transfers in the face of a possible points deduction as a result of litigation between the previous owners and the current ones.
In light of this, three points out of a possible nine is a bit concerning with the possibility of them being lost along with a few more on top. The thing for Sheffield United, and City for that matter, is that, as I know I’ve mentioned a few times on here down the years, if you’re in a run of draws, it all depends how you end that run – a defeat means you’re a lot of games without a win, yet a three pointer means you’re on a very promising unbeaten run to start your campaign.
I could understand why the home fans were upset with inconsistent referee John Busby at the final whistle (blown before the stipulated three minutes added time I thought), but, with barely a minute on the clock, it was the visitors who were annoyed with him as he ignored claims for a foul in the middle of the pitch by Rubin Colwill as Cian Ashford freed Jack Moylan who cut in from the left and got away a shot from the edge of the penalty area that beat Martin Cooper on his near post.
The keeper may not have covered himself in glory there but he made up for that with some good saves as he kept his side ahead and then on level terms as the pressure came on them. – notably, a deflected effort by Moylan and a right footed shot from Bagan from around twenty yards out
Attention turned to the other end of the pitch almost straight after our goal though as Perry Ng gave the ball away cheaply, United broke quickly and Alex Robertson earned a booking with a pull on Tom Cannon inside the penalty area.
The lack of protests looked to confirm my impression that Mr Busby had got the decision right , albeit, it was pretty tame stuff compared to the grappling at corners and free kicks that so often goes unpunished even though there was, supposed to be a crackdown against the practice this season). Cannon went virtually down the middle with his penalty as Trott dived to his left to ensure that City’s lead had lasted barely two minutes.
A second goal for the visitors soon followed as two or three individual duels were lost by City players and Patrick Bamford fed Callum O’Hare who calmly steered his shot beyond Trott.
City’s keeper saved smartly from Cannon to prevent it being three conceded within ten or twelve minutes, but the home team took a grip on midfield from then on with the ball being moved at a pace and urgency their opponents often found hard to counter.
Moylan was particularly dangerous in the first half as he looked like a player who is settling down in new surroundings, while Robertson recovered from his shaky start to again suggest he can make a success of the number six job. Oddly, Ashford looks to have gained pace from somewhere over the summer and the move infield has added dynamism to his game. Rubin Colwill is playing with a maturity and team discipline which makes him a natural captain for this young team – I honestly can’t see how Craig Bellamy can leave him out of the Welsh squad now and he, increasingly, looks capable of playing in a deeper role which I’d say offers an easier route into the team.
Ashford’s performance, which you’d like to think also set the Wales manager thinking, got the reward it deserved as the pressure on the Sheffield defence increased after Tanner weaved past two or three opponents to get away a shot which Cooper blocked with his foot into the path of Cian who swept the rebound home from ten yards.
Tanner tested Cooper again early in the second half with the keeper grabbing hold of the ball at the second attempt as Salech waited to pounce. The striker should have won the game late on though after Ng’s twenty yarder rebounded off the crossbar. Salech took a good first touch, but, having looked to control the rebound, but instead, the ball rolled wide as the striker’s second touch proved to be much heavier than his first.
Other than that, it was hard to tell why Robertson’s offence was deemed to be worth a penalty, while United sub Rhys Norrington-Davies’ grabbing at Tanner well inside the area was not. There was also a big shout for a handball against another sub Kalvin Phillips as he blocked Robertson’s shot – it was impossible for me to tell about this one at the time, but having watched ir back once or twice now, I’d say that the ball did hit Phillips’ arm, but he had his hand tucked into his side at the time and so I’d say no penalty.
Away from the first team, there was another disappointing loss, this time by 3–1, for the under 18s in their home EPL Cup clash with Swindon Town despite scoring first through Logan Cartwright inside the first ten minutes. In mitigation, a second yellow card for Dayton Jeremy early in the second half with the score 1-1 hardly helped the cause – home defeats on successive Saturday’s to Fleetwood and now Swindon is not a good look.
In the Highadmit South Wales Alliance, Treherbert Boys and Girls club were well beaten, by 3-0, at home to Amman United in the Premier League. Ton Pentre have made a good start in the Championship with two wins – the second of which came yesterday by 2-1 at Penycraig United, but it’s three losses in three matches for Treorchy Boys and Girls Club now in Division One (East) following a 1-0 loss at home to Tongwynlais AFC.
