Chwarae teg, as someone who has often been critical of Cardiff City this season, I thought we played pretty well on our first visit to the new Brentford Community Stadium tonight. It finished 1-1 and so, although our promotion hopes realistically ended at Sheffield Wednesday, we’ve damaged the aspirations of two of the sides above us in the last four days.
With Reading on Friday, we were playing a team that knew automatic promotion was out of the picture and their Play Off hopes were fading pretty quickly. Tonight, it was different – Brentford may have stopped winning matches recently (one in six going into tonight’s game), but, with a top six finish virtually certain, they still entertained lingering hopes of automatic promotion.
However, with Watford winning tonight at already promoted Norwich, Brentford find themselves ten points adrift of second place with just four matches to play – they have to face the fact that they are going to be in the Play Offs once again and they have an appalling record in the end of season mini competitions.
It’s hard to avoid the suspicion that what happened at the back end of last season is haunting a club thats recruitment policy is equally admired and envied by many in the game. I’ll be wanting Brentford to win the Play Offs because I think they deserve promotion, but losing both of their last two matches last season when two points would have seen them go up automatically is a tough one to get over and I suspect promotion may be beyond them again this time around.
Certainly, Brentford weren’t as impressive tonight as they were on Boxing Day at our place when, after a low key first half that saw them trailing by that Will Vaulks goal from inside his own half, they went up through the gears in the second period to deservedly win 3-2 with Sergi Canos netting a hat trick.
For City, there was frustration tonight at losing a hard won lead within minutes of scoring just like they had done at Reading, but they could be satisfied that, as a team with nothing really to play for now, they did not lack for effort at all and may even have won but for a very poor individual error.
There was disappointment again for supporters like me who were hoping that these last few games would see some game time, or squad experience at the very least, for some of our home produced youngsters, but, once again, Mick McCarthy stuck with the “tried and trusted” senior men with teenager Rubin Colwill stepping down to accommodate the return of Leandro Bacuna to the substitutes bench after a spell of illness in the only change to the squad for the Reading game – as has been remarked upon by many, the continuing selection of Junior Hoilett in the squad when our manager, apparently, has no intention of using him seems very odd.
City made a bright start, pushing Brentford, who had drawn both of their last two home matches 0-0, on to the defensive with their urgency, but they only had a half hit Perry Ng shot which home keeper David Raya saved easily to show for their pressure. Coversely,at the other end, Brentford, distinctly second best for the first ten minutes or so, created a better chance out of nothing really when an unmarked Marcus Forss put his shot straight at Alex Smithies from about twelve yards out.
Brentford were able to impose their passing game on proceedings more as the half wore on, but City were unrecognisable defensively from the team that collapsed at Hillsborough as they maintained their shape and discipline to largely keep the hosts at arms length. Forss carelessly shot over after the Championship’s top scorer, Ivan Toney, nodded back a deep cross – in fact, I’m being generous when I say it was a deep cross, because it looked for all of the world like it had gone out for a goal kick.
Marlon Pack then must have feared the worst when his back pass was picked up by Toney who bore down on the City goal only for Smithies to produce a good save to deny the striker who City have done a good job of keeping in check in their encounters with this season. Going back to Pack, I must say that I’ve more time for him than many City fans do, but he has been prone to giving away or losing the ball in deep areas lately due to wanting to take too many touches – it’s not cost us a goal(s) yet, but I fear it will do soon.
City had a chance of their own as well when Ciaron Brown’s pass was flicked on by Moore into the path of Joe Ralls who went for goal himself rather than look to play in the unmarked Harry Wilson – Ralls’ shot was held on to in regulation style by a diving Raya.
The first half was short on goalmouth action, but it had a watchable quality to it and this continued into the second half as Brentford upped their efforts in attack, but City were able to launch counters of their own that showed they were not solely preoccupied with defending.
With wing backs Ng and Tom Sang both looking impressive, City were able to move the ball around more cohesively than normal, but there was still a lack of precision in their passing at times which meant that good chances, particularly late on when the home side were chasing the win they so desperately needed, went begging.
City took the lead on fifty seven minutes when Wilson and Sang’s persistence won a free kick close to the bye line right on the edge of the penalty area. Vaulks’ resultant cross was met by an unmarked Curtis Nelson standing just beyond the penalty spot, but his header looked to be going just wide when it hit Ethan Pinnock on the hand and referee Darren England pointed to the spot – by the interpretation of the handball law we’ve seen this season it looked a fair decision to me, but the referee’s decision not to further punish the player looked the right one to me given that Pinnock had not kept out a goal attempt which looked like it was going in.
Keiffer Moore’s three penalties before today had all been aimed high into the net, but this time he went low to Raya’s left as he dived to his right – it was another impressive spot kick by the striker who has now reached twenty for the season if you include his goals for Wales.
City had been defending well enough to make me think that Moore’s eighteenth goal of his league campaign would prove decisive, but I figured without an awful blunder by Smithies who allowed a shot from Tarique Fosu from twenty yards which was well struck, but straight at him, to slip through his hands and dribble apologetically into the net.
With Smithies having been at fault with one of Blackburn’s goals in his comeback game after his illness enforced withdrawal at Bristol City in January and his erratic spell around Christmas (at least one of Brentford’s goals at Cardiff City Stadium should have been saved to my mind), our number one goalkeeper is having his worst season since signing for us nearly three years ago and it only re emphasises that Dillon Phillips has been very hard done by – he’s been penalised for letting in five in his last match, yet none of them were down to him.
Brentford forced a lot of corners and free kicks after that and City needed to be vigilant at the back in the twenty five minutes or so that remained. However, with all of the back three continuing with the improved form seen at Reading, they came through their defensive examination despite the ball sometimes bouncing around dangerously in their penalty area and Smiithies opting to fist away a Canos shot late on which moved about a fair bit in the air.
However, it was us who missed the best chance of a winning goal when Raya made a mess of Vaulks long throw in and the ball fell to Wilson on his left foot about five yards out – it was an awkward ball to hit, but it was the player in blue you would most want the chance to fall to and it was disappointing to see the shot dribble wide.
Finally, it was good to see Jordy Osei Tutu back in action after his long lay off (even if it was at the expense of injuries to the very good Sang and Ng) and he was able to give us a few signs of what we’ve been missing – we look like we will be losing a lot of wingers/wide players this summer and I wonder if we could try to get him back for next season to play further forward than he has done in his all too rare appearances for us this time around?
Hi Paul.
Thanks for this. Relying on your report as only caught it on the radio towards the end. Just seen highlights online and feels like we were better than of late – which isn’t saying much I know!
Shame we couldn’t hold on again and also a shame that Smithies was at fault. Whatever that mystery illness was that sidelined him, he hasn’t been the same since taking over from Phillips. Some very good stops, but prone to errors which I don’t think we saw at all when he took over from Etheridge. I notice that MM put out a virtual arm around him post match, but he must be gutted!
Midfield seems such an issue for us and lost track of how many years since we have had a really consistent blend there to drive us forward with pace and precision – it must be years. I am sure you and other contributors could have a great debate remembering the best midfield combo.
I presume now that all top 6 hope has been abandoned we might finally get to see a couple of the youngsters given a run out – they deserve it. Whether we see Junior again is a moot point – appreciate he hasn’t had his greatest season but MM has not given him any chance to impress so assume he is going to leave?
I feel we will end up where we probably deserve to be – not consistent enough and home record too poor to deserve better.
Like you I hope that Brentford make it through the play-offs, but agree they seem to have the jitters after last years blow up!
Thanks again, Paul, for your report on yesterday evening’s game.
We went 3412, again Ralls behind (yet another argh!) Moore and Wilson whilst Brentford used an unfamiliar 3142. Overall we acquitted ourselves fairly well but I don’t think it would have been that easy had the home team been without their two full backs which resulted in dropping their long favoured 433, a formation that several seasons on, City have still not fathomed out. For that reason I was not as impressed with the home team as I had been in recent games between the clubs.
For a game that Brentford had a vested interest in winning, the first half was surprisingly open, despite no goals being scored. During the first 15 mins we were on the front foot whilst the hosts were lax. In fact it was quite a comfortable start before the home team assumed more midfield possession at the 20 min mark. Brentford’s three at the back really turned into a two at the back for their right centre back was virtually deployed as a right sided midfielder. It was criminal not to have made more of this lack of numbers guarding Brentford’s goal, particularly during City’s early dominance. Vaulks was his belligerent self, but thankfully remained booking-free; whilst Pack galloped around ad infinitum, but without pace around him often seemed to get there after the ball had gone. He needs the ball at his feet with runners either side of him. This has gone out of fashion for McCarthy as the season nears its close. As the game wore on in the second half Brentford’s pressure mounted but 1-1 it remained during the last 30 mins. It was not until a 73rd min double substitution (Ojo & Bacuna for Pack & Wilson) that belatedly Ralls was deployed at central midfield. Why?
I didn’t think the City penalty was one; the defender made no movement with his right arm at all, it was stationary at his side yet Sky mystifying said it was, “a clear penalty.” Never! Moore, again, hit the ball well and with power from 12 yds, sending the keeper the wrong way. But again we were unable to defend that lead. The mistake by Smithies was concerning as it was his second in short order. Furthermore, without Morrison the defence, a la Swansea, is now but a pale shadow of that game’s heroics. The wing backs must get forward in the general direction of the opposition penalty area but rarely did in TW8. Brown has settled in nicely at the back but his passing must be improved.
So, City’s two 1-1 draws, at Reading and Brentford, were noteworthy but there were periods in both games where the hosts were there for the taking. Had City still been in the end of season shake-up it would have been disappointing, if not galling, to have come out of these two games with less than four points.
With three games left I hope we shall see at least a smattering of fresh faces in the match-day squad. For what it’s worth this would be my team for Wycombe, though, not for one minute do I think it will be.
Smithies,
Ng, Morrison (if fit), Nelson, Hoilett
Osei-Tutu, Sang, Ralls, Murphy
Wilson
Watters or Harris
A thank you to the two Perry’s for your replies. Huw, on Smithies, it’s just not worked out the way our manager envisaged and, as such, has only made the case of those of us who believed Phillips was very harshly treated. Smithies has shown he’s a good goalkeeper in his first two seasons with us and, generally, he’s done pretty well this time, but he had a bit of dodgy spell in the last couple of months of 2020 and his errors against Blackburn and Brentford were perhaps the two worst he’s made since coming here. I’ve heard it said that Smithies was brought back to put him in the shop window as the club would be happy to sell him as he went into the last year of his contract – if that was the case, I think it’s back to the drawing board!
Steve, I know 2hat you mean about the handball for the penalty, but I’d say that it was the right decision if you look how the handball law has been interpreted this season – I don’t agree with much of it, but, for now at least, I think it was a penalty.
As you say, your selection for tomorrow is unlikely to be the one see, but I like the idea of Osei-Tutu playing further forward and I agree that Watters especially should be given a start before the end of the season. Finally, I agree with you about both Reading and Brentford both being there for the taking at times, but we didn’t have the inclination to strike when our opponents were struggling- we did that at Bournemouth where I thought we looked a top six side, but I suppose the truth is that when it comes down to it, we’ve just not been good or consistent enough this season.