The portents weren’t good for Cardiff City going into this afternoon’s six pointer at Blackpool. Three weeks ago, an abandonment of a match they were dominating, albeit they only were 1-0 up, at relegation rivals Rotherham left them with nothing as the news came this week that the match would be replayed from the start with the score 0-0. Put that alongside the hurt of defeat to your biggest rivals thanks to a goal scored in the ninety ninth minute and it began to feel like the relegation trap door was closing on City.
Add to that the fact that Sabri Lamouchi raised the prospect of top scorer Callum Robinson missing the rest of the season with a hamstring injury that is proving to be harder to shake off than hoped, Kion Etete’s hamstring problem might not be as serious as Robinson’s, but he wasn’t available either and Callum O’Dowda missed out as well with the injury that has been troubling him lately and there weren’t too many reasons for optimism.
Perry Ng, the other injury doubt, did make it though and he took his place in the same back three that had a collective off day against Swansea. Joe Ralls was the replacement for O’Dowda on the left, while Mahlon Romeo coming in on the right freed Jaden Philogene to play as a kind of roving number ten in front of Romaine Sawyers and Ryan Wintle and behind a front two of Sory Kaba and Connor Wickham with the latter owing the whole club a performance after his post Swansea game antics.
Although Blackpool’s last two home games had produced twelve goals (a 6-1 win over QPR being followed by a 4-1 loss against Coventry), it had the feel of a tight, low scoring affair to me even if the home team knew that probably nothing less than a win would do for them.
In the event, the game was all over after forty minutes – Blackpool staggered off at the interval lucky to be only 3-0 down! Back in September, City were up by the same score at Middlesbrough only to end up hanging on for their 3-2 win and they were to lose the second half again today. However, this time it was fairly comfortable as a ground markedly less full than it had been at the start (there was a large exodus of home fans even before City scored their third) saw Blackpool suffer a 3-1 defeat which, surely, leaves them with no way out now from a bottom three finish.
There was little sign of what was to come during a low key first quarter of an hour or so which, if anything, Blackpool edged. The home team were putting on most of the pressure, but the closest thing to a goal came when Ryan Allsop mishandled a Josh Bowler cross and was grateful to Ng for a timely clearance. Bowler, on loan back to Blackpool from Forest, cut in from the right to hit a shot that forced Kipre into the first of what were a number of timely blocks, while, up the other end, a Wickham shot that went high and wide was all City had to offer.
The game turned on what looked like a big miss by Wickham at the time as he jabbed wide from close in after Philogene’s first impact on proceedings when he got to the bye line on the left and pulled back a low cross.
For a very short while, Blackpool were able to think they’d got away with it, but the truth was that they’d only experienced the first of a tortuous twenty minutes or so where they were taken apart in a manner which you’d be forgiven for thinking the 22/23 Cardiff City squad was incapable of inflicting on an opponent.
During this period, City were able to dominate by being more powerful than their opponents all over the pitch, but there was also a energy, precision and touch to their play at times that most supporters would not think the team was capable of and, as confidence grew, it became a case of hanging on for grim death for Blackpool.
Nowhere was the domination felt more than up front – City have not played with two strikers too often this season, but in this campaign of misfiring strikers, shot shy midfielders and centre backs that seldom score from set pieces I can’t remember City being so much in charge of an opposition defence and so much of the superiority stemmed from the work of Wickham and Kaba.
Following a few days where the general attitude among fans was that they wouldn’t be too bothered if his contract was ripped up, Wickham imposed himself on the game to the extent that he had two assists to go with his first Cardiff goal – it was a reminder of what a talent he was around the time he was scoring two against us for Sunderland in a big win which went a long towards relegating us from the Premier League in 2014.
As good as Wickham was though, Kaba was a bit better in my opinion. Previously, I’ve praised Kaba for his goal scoring knack in a team that had been praying for someone like him for two thirds of the season, but reckoned that he did little else beside put the ball in the net. Here, however, there it was his all round game that was impressive as he revealed a range of passing and skill which, to be honest, I thought him incapable of – he also weighed in with a goal to make it five in ten games for us.
Kaba was centrally involved as City moved the ball from left to right on twenty one minutes as his crossfield pass enabled Romeo to aim a first time cross to the far post which Wickham headed firmly past Welsh keeper Chris Maxwell from ten yards.
Maxwell did well to foil Kaba from twenty yards and even better to keep out Philogene’s effort from the edge of the penalty area, but City were unrelenting during their purple patch and, when Wickham’s chip aimed at Kaba panicked home centre back James Husband into a header to Maxwell which fell short of the goalkeeper, the Guinea striker showed a lovely first touch that took him clear of Maxwell as he walked the ball in to make it 2-0 on thirty six minutes..
In no time at all, three minutes in fact, it was 3-0 when Wintle’s clever through ball set up Wickham who turned his man before crossing to the far post where Ralls took a touch before placing his right footed shot beyond Maxwell from eight yards.
Off the top of my head, City have lost a four goal lead and a couple of three goal ones in my time supporting them, but Blackpool collapsed so abjectly here that you knew there was no way back for them unless City imploded spectacularly against opponents who did not have the quality to embarrass them to such an extent.
Notwithstanding what I say in the last paragraph, it was good to hear Sabri Lamouchi say he was really pleased with the result, but not with his side’s second half performance. Our manager felt that City didn’t control the game in the second half and, although I never felt we’d be pegged back, there is a suspicion that a better side than Blackpool may have cashed in on our second period sluggishness.
As it was, Curtis Nelson headed just wide from a corner and, with just over fifteen minutes left City gave away a goal as poor as anything we saw against Swansea as sub Andy Rinomhota let his opponent get past him way too easily to lay back a cross which another sub, CJ Hamilton hit towards goal from the sort of position Ralls had scored from – Allsop blocked it in that manner he has which makes saves by him often look unconvincing and Bowler turned the loose ball in from six yards/
With sixteen minutes left, the home crowd, which had turned against their team during the twenty minute chasing they received, sensed a a possible route back for their side as City, who had already replaced Sawuers and Wickham with Rinomhota and Rubin Colwill began to appear tired on a day which was sunny, but fresh – I thought City had looked tired in the second half against Swansea and there were more signs of it here, but the bottom line this time was that Blackpool just weren’t good enough to seriously threaten a comeback.
City had to do their fair share of defending and I thought Lamouchi waited too long to take off Philogene, who had picked up a cheap booking quite early in the second period, and Kaba, who increased involvement meant him expending more energy with Mark Harris and Isaak Davies for the last five minutes or so.
So, City came through their most important game of the season so far with a very comfortable away win over opponents who relegation rivals and yet their manager declared himself not satisfied with aspects of their performance – that sounds quite hopeful to me when it comes to avoiding the drop although injuries are depleting the squad and it would be good to see Etete and O’Dowda considered fit enough to contribute in some way on Monday when a Sunderland side that still has hopes of making the Play Offs come to Cardiff City Stadium.
Despite their win, City still have just a one point cushion above the bottom three, but the good news is twofold. First two of the sides in the relegation places are beginning to look doomed to the drop – Blackpool are seven points short of safety with six games left and Wigan, beaten 1-0 at second placed Sheffield United, are a point behind them with just eighteen left to play for, Secondly, Reading’s six point deduction which was finally confirmed this week leaves them one point below us now with a worse goal difference and having played a game more. Reading’s 1-1 home draw with a Birmingham side with nothing to play for has to be viewed as two points dropped and they are now in the bottom three, with Huddersfield finally pulling clear following another Warnock inspired win against a team with promotion ambitions, although Watford look almost certain to be playing Championship football next season now after their 3-2 loss at Vicarage Road.
While Huddersfield are buoyant, the team above them on goal difference are in the depths of despair. QPR lost yet again, this time by 2-0 at home to Preston and with three Play Off candidates to face before a trip to Burnley, it’s hard to see where the points are going to come from for a team that were top of the league in late October!
The fact that City are now up to nineteenth illustrates how two more teams have been sucked into the relegation mire – where it once looked like any three out of Wigan, Blackpool, Huddersfield and Cardiff for relegation, we are getting towards a situation where it could be argued that City, Huddersfield, QPR, Reading and Rotherham are in a battle to avoid going down in the only relegation place available.
Rotherham did their survival prospects no harm at all with 3-1 home win over another side whose Premier League dreams are fading, West Brom, and they also have picked up a useful point at Hull since their lucky escape against us. With a three point gap to the last relegation place and a game in hand over the rest, apart from City, Rotherham could just be safe by the time we go there for the replayed game – City are still right in the mix, but they’ve earned themselves a little breathing space for now..
Just to add my congratulations to Burnley who secured their promotion, almost certainly as Champions, back to the Premier League after a 2-1 win at Middlesbrough. That’s a result which also makes it very likely that Sheffield United will accompany the Lancashire up in the automatic promotion places – in fact, it’s just about possible that the Blades could secure their promotion with a win over us next Saturday!
Finally, there are still a few signed copies of my latest book “Tony Evans Walks on Water” available from the Trust Office (near Gate 5) on matchdays at the reduced price of £9 for Trust members.
