The complete lack of continuity in selection with the Cardiff City Development team over the past year or so makes it hard to blame the players for it, because you’d probably struggle to find one who has featured on each occasion, but there is something going on with this side which, too often, renders it incapable of holding on to 2-0 leads.
I can remember at least two occasions from last season where a seemingly comfortable lead by a couple of goals was turned into a 2-2 draw, while there was also a match with Palace where a 2-0 half time lead was ended up as a 4-2 defeat.
Well, they were at it again yesterday, as, in the latest in a long, long line of unsatisfactory matches at this level that I’ve watched over the past couple of years, Millwall were allowed to come back and claim what has become the traditional draw when we meet them at this level in South Wales, despite them being a couple of goals adrift at the interval.
At 2-2, this at least had more goals in it than the usual Cardiff v Millwall draw, which has tended to be either 0-0 or 1-1 at first team as well as second team level, but, yet again, the final whistle at a Development team game left me wondering just what is the club’s plan at this level at the moment and, whatever it is, it’s not working because results and levels of team and individual performance have definitely got worse in recent seasons.
Given what Neil Warnock has had to say about the whole concept of Under 23 football on the very rare occasions he has spoken on the subject in public since he was appointed, it may be that there is no plan – certainly, our manager has spoken about his dislike of the format and, increasingly, I’m coming around to thinking he is right.
Only recently, our manager commented that, if a young player was going to break into the first team squad it was more likely that he would come from the Under 18 Academy squad than the Under 23s. Now, I’m sure that those who came up with the concept of Development team football had a definite progression from Academy to Development team to first team in mind, but that has not been the case at Cardiff for virtually all of this decade and, given what the Development team has become over his time at the club, I can only conclude that our manager thinks it’s a system which is not fit for purpose.
I should say mind that it would appear that the days of endless streams of trialists turning out for us may be coming to an end. There was only one of them yesterday – Guillermo Torres Gomez is, apparently, a central defender who was with Espanyol’s youth team until recently – I say “apparently”, because he joined the ranks of those who have come here, apparently, on trial and spent the whole ninety minutes sat on the bench, so I’m not really sure if that information is correct!
So, there does seem to be a move back towards some continuity in selection with recent sides tending to be made up of young Academy products or former trialists who have been given pro contracts along with a smattering of first team squad members.
Matt Connolly has become a regular at this level this season and yesterday he was joined by Loic Damour and Kadeem Harris. In the last development team game I watched before yesterday, Lee Tomlin showcased his talents to an extent which has not been seen here at first team level and this time it was Harris (who, unlike Tomlin, is in our twenty five man Premier League squad) who issued the reminder that he was still around.
Kadeem Harris is congratulated by team mates after his fine first goal – the winger’s first half performance in particular sent out a message that he shouldn’t be forgotten when it comes to first team consideration.*
A lovely goal curled in as he cut in from the left by the winger in the fourth minute set him up for a fine first half showing where he consistently had the beating of visiting captain, James Brown. Nearly all of City’s attacking threat throughout the game was provided by Harris and he was rampant in the early stages, notably when he beat a couple of defenders and tried a shot from the corner of the penalty area which was palmed away by keeper Ryan Standford and then when his low cross just eluded Ibrahim Meite.
Cameron Coxe, who has become something of a utility player at this level due to what seems to be a deliberate policy of using him in any position other than his best one of right back (Paul McKay, a centreback, played there yesterday), was on the right wing this time and he was also enjoying some success down the flanks – none more so than when he earned a penalty, which Harris converted, after being brought down as City doubled their lead around the half hour mark.
At half time I mentioned our tendency to give away two goal leads to the mate I was watching the match with, but, in all honesty, it was hard to see it happening this time. While being over reliant on Harris going forward, we had looked very comfortable at the back – consequently, keeper Matthew Hall had been having a very quiet afternoon.
With Harris less of a factor and Meite, who can be a threat at this level, having one of those games where the ball very seldom “sticks” when it is played to him, City did little to suggest further goals in the third quarter and the visitors were able to get a foothold in the game when Michael Parker finished what was by far their best move up until then from close range.
To be honest, neither side came that close to scoring the game’s fourth goal as it drifted quietly towards it’s end, but City’s penchant for giving away two goal leads meant that I was never that confident that we would finish the job off. So it was that Millwall’s Joe Wicks was able to score a simple equaliser as, with home defenders conspicuous by their absence, he finished from about eight yards.
City pressed forward continuously in the time that remained and Standford produced a good save from a Harris free kick while unmarked sub Ciaron Brown volleyed wide shortly afterwards from about ten yards out to ensure the visitors left with a point which they didn’t really deserve on the balance of play, but, such was City’s carelessness, it was equally hard to make a case for them deserving the win.
*picture courtesy of https://www.cardiffcityfc.co.uk/
