So, for the first time this season, the biggest single factor in our decline in the 2020’s raises its head – the fact that our home results have been abysmal for the last five years.
The loss to Bradford City ten days ago was one thing – we deservedly lost, but I didn’t think we played too badly and, after following our first defeat of the season season up with a Cup win at a Premier League club and then as dominant an away performance as we’ve produced for at least a couple of seasons on Saturday, there was clearly no need for any panic stations.
A win at Cardiff City Stadium tonight against bottom of the table Burton Albion would have taken us back to the top of the league, but, instead, we lost by a late goal to nil and by the end of the game, it had all got very concerning as the life, belief and spirit of adventure that has characterised this season drained out of the team as quickly as air does from a balloon.
For all of the excitement generated by the emergence of youngsters this season, it should not be forgotten that there are still plenty of the first team squad that have probably lost more home games than they’ve won during their time at the club – we’ve been so bad at home for so long that I wouldn’t be surprised at all if someone as long serving as Perry Ng has tasted defeat at home more than he has experienced victory. It seemed that for all of the desire on and off the pitch to state that we’ve moved on from the wretched home form of recent seasons, this was clearly not so based on the evidence of the last quarter of tonight’s match which was a grim reminder of so many 0-1 losses suffered at Cardiff City Stadium since the Covid pandemic.
City, especially Yousef Salech, will feel that referee Jacob Miles’ decision to disallow his first half goal changed the game. Certainly, it was the sort of decision Salech just doesn’t get given in his favour in this division and I thought it was a poor call by the ref to rule that our centre forward had committed a foul.
However, I’m not too sympathetic towards our striker this time because he’d already had two headed chances that he could have done better with and there were a couple more opportunities he got wrong in a second half where, at times, it looked like he was more concerned with carrying on a running battle with Burton defenders or arguing the toss with the officials.
Joel Bagan, so assured when passing the ball, blazed a very presentable chance into the upper rows of the family stand as City’s strong and impressive first half an hour or so was undermined by familiar final third problems such as wingers staying out wide when crosses were dropping into areas just beyond the far post on their side of the pitch.
Not having enough bodies in dangerous areas for a crosser to aim for offered some excuse for a half time successful crosses figure of just three out of fifteen, but only some – failing to pick out our own players when in space close to the bye line has been a season long weakness.
As the opportunities came and went for City, a few heads began to drop it seemed and Burton could have been ahead when Nathan Trott just about kept out George Evans’ point blank header and Charlie Webster had a couple of opportunities from the edge of the area that he could have done better with.
Salech’s best header of the night set up a great chance for Cian Ashford quite early in the second half, but the winger’s well struck shot flew straight at keeper Collins who was to have a pretty quiet night of it all told.
Salech then wasted another good chance provided by sub Callum Robinson’s neat through ball as City got worse and worse as the belief gained by all of the good things they’d done in the first two months of the season drained away.
Although Burton were not looking too dangerous themselves, there was no a definite feeling that the visitors could nick it late on against a City side that were now a shadow of the one that had briefly run rampant for a while at the start of the match. On 82 minutes the goal arrived as Webster scored at the third attempt following all manner of missed opportunities to clear and half hearted tackling from a frazzled home team.
Although the game dragged on for nearly twenty minutes after the goal, City never looked like equalizing and so, for the first time I’d say, BBM has some really serious issues to try and sort out before we play again – I wish him luck in that because it seems to me that a lot of those issues are deep seated and long lasting ones even if tonight was probably the first time he’d seen evidence of them.
In complete contrast, the under 21s served up a reminder of how effective the type of football BBM wants the first team to play can be if you can get tha early goal. Jake Davies’ deflected shot had us 1-0 up at Leckwith this afternoon against Millwall inside the first ten minutes and Will Spiers made it two from the penalty spot in added time at the end of the first period. The second half saw a couple of quick fire goals from Mannie Barton complete a 4-0 win that was as impressive as the scoreline suggests.
The youngsters’ pace and movement made Millwall’s big defenders look leaden footed by comparison and opponents who are always competitive at this level were blown away by the end as both the under 21s and 18s continue what are largely successful seasons without any signs of what is the first team’s increasing, and concerning, fragility.
