Last night....

Evening all. Not had chance to read through others thoughts on here as yet, but thought I'd give my view of it. You may agree, may not - but here goes (and apologies for the length as I've just read it back!).

First of all, congrats on getting the point, I'm sure plenty of you would have bitten my hand off if I'd offered that before the game. Looked to me that you started as you meant (and achieved) to come for a point. You sat back and absorbed wave upon wave of pressure. We struggled up front with only young Joe Mason as a lone striker and whilst we got some decent balls into the box, were sadly missing a "targetman". Mason is a good player and will get better - but he'll never be a lone striker. Anyway, whilst we had decent possession and position, your defence in particular performed brilliantly - though, in fairness, most contributed in their own way. Quite how you got to half time all square I'm not sure - but you did.

The second half started with what looked like a sitter for your diminutive No.2. A cross to the far post saw him unmarked at the back post, don't know if he panicked being that far up the field but he seemed to be leaning backward as he somehow missed the target. I may be being unkind there as I was at the opposite end and corner of the ground, but that's how it looked to me. It was at the back post nearest to your fans so I'm sure anyone there can put me right if I've missed something. After that we continued to press and, despite being frightened to death seeing one cross come shot from you flying through our six-yard box, deservedly took the lead with a scruffy effort that found its way in.

After another 10 minutes, the game changed. You'd made a couple of attacking substitutions and we replaced our best player, tiring Kim Bo-Kyung, with Peter Whittingham. The main difference between these two is that Kim is far more adventurous and Whittingham has played this season in a "quarterback" role just in front of the back four. That's the main reason he's not scored as many as usual this season. Basically, we sat back trying to preserve what we had and you grasped the opportunity. We did have a few more chances but couldn't break through.

Quite where the ref/4th official got 5 minutes extra time from, I'm not sure but, about 4 minutes in Heider Helgusson challenged a central defender just outside the box and was through one on one with your keeper. The keeper went to ground very early and quite far out. Easy for HH to touch it around him and walk it into the net but no, he decides to place it and the keeper makes a decent save. Never mind, still comfortable tbh.

But then, with the crowd baying for the ref to end it, you score. A speculative, weak looking shot seems to hit one of yours & it's in. Took what seemed an eternity to get there but it's in - and 7 minutes into the 5 of extra time! Our full back had gone down after HH's miss and this, apparently, was the reason for the extra extra time.

Ah well, that's football for you. We've come away with points we've barely deserved this season (as every season tbh) and I'm sure you have. I thought we were comfortable for pretty much most of the game last night but didn't kill it off. Fair play to you, you stuck at it and came away with a point. We're both a point closer to where we want to be so happy days!

Hope everyone that travelled had a good trip and enjoyed yourselves - even the ones that looked to have left before your late, late equiliser!

ps Thought Perkins was the stand-out palyer for you btw, was all over the place

 

Cheers for that Bluebird, always good to get another perspective.

The 'diminutive No.2.' is Hassell who's approaching his 10th year at the club and scored the winner against Watford a few weeks back. Was his first in 2 years though so he's not too used to being there still!

Also, pretty much everyone says that about Perkins - reight player.

 

I think the injury time was just that there had been six subs, one goal and the trainer has been on twice. Is it still 30 seconds for sub which gives us 3 minutes straight away? One of your players was down quite a while in injury time which added an additional minute.

Number 2, Bobby Hassell. Was disappointed with the attempt as I think it was our best effort in the first 90 minutes, but far harder than you describe. That said, I'd like to see it again. I usually see things differently on the telly afterwards.

As for our goal, that ball trickled into the net. I was sure your goalie was going to get to it. It went so s l o w toward goal.

I'd just like to say how nice Cardiff's stadium is. It was my first time there. When we got in, there were televisions on with our last home match on (which was nice to see a repeat of the Perkins 'goal' that was disallowed for off-side against Leicester). Also nice to see posters in the ground thanking us for travelling 400-odd miles. Nice touch. There was also a notice board from away fans thanking Cardiff City and stewards etc for there pleasent trips. All round really nice. And the seats had decent leg room as well.

Really enjoyed the trip. I'd like to do it again next season, but you'll be in the Prem. Good luck with the rest of the season.

 

On tv it looked like a slight deflection took the ball off Bobby's head?

 

Very good, balanced perspective, as usual from you Bluebird. Many thanks for that.

Good to see the positive posts from Barnsley fans about their experience at the Cardiff City Stadium.

I did post on here earlier today asking where you were!!

 

if its any consolation bluebird,its not very often we get the rub of the green with injury time.

 

10 year at a club - do they still do that? Proper "old school" lol

Never thought that much of Perkins before tbh, OK but nothing special, only stood out because of his distinctive hair - but he played very well last night, fair play!

 

Reason I'd said about the extra time was that I could barely remember a trainer on there? Time for subs, no problem - but plenty of games where the full 6 are used and you get 2 minutes extra time. As I'd said, no probs with the "extra" extra time - McNaughton went down, probably wasting time tbh.

Hassels attempt was a long, long way from me & I've not seen any replays on tv - just the way it seemed to me.

Stadium was designed after visits and consultations with other grounds, picking out the best bits. Stewards often get praised down here by away fans - and the ones in the away car park & section in the ground quite often wear the visitors strip to welcome them.

Glad you enjoyed btw.

 

Not seen anything of it on tv tbh, may be right - I don't know?

 

Thanks. Game's all about opinions, try to say it as I see it. Plenty from here would have gone - and could reply with theirs if they thought differently.

Not long home from work tbh, couldn't reply earlier. Or perhaps I was just sulking - you'll never know

 

Can you not remember McNaughton requiring treatment (for cramp I think) just as the game went into injury time? He received treatment for at least a minute on the pitch, could have held the game up for almost two minutes, and the referee confirmed to your manager that this was the reason for added time on top of the five minutes. A lot of people missed this and I'm thankful that the referee didn't ignore it as a lot of others would have.

Cheers for your views though, probably a bit too kind on us in parts...I watched the live stream and it was obvious that we had gone there for a point and, for me, that tactic can never be effective for 90 minutes (or 98 or whatever in this case). Obviously after the goal we couldn't just play the same way and I sort of wonder how the game would have panned out if we had played more expansively from the start - yes we would have been opened up at times but it didn't stop you having loads of chances anyway so I would have rather have seen us go for the win. Still, as you say we'd have snapped your hands off for a point before the game and in the context of the game it felt like a victory.

 

Thanks. That's a great consolation & I'll sleep easy tonight knowing that

 

I did say about our full back going down in injury time & had no problem with the "extra" extra time. Regularly happens with all teams, just trying to waste a little more time imo & he got picked up for it. Not sure about the initial 5 minutes though - but that's what the ref gave and you've got to play it out.

I'd have brought on Don Cowie instead of Whittingham tbh. Whitts is a better player no doubt, but the industrious Cowie would have been better suited for what was needed.

You didn't give up & reaped the rewards. More of that & you should be OK - although you never know in this mad division.

 

I don't think five minutes is a lot these days, bear in mind there were 6 subs in the second half if I remember rightly.

Yeah hopefully we'll be OK, this time next week (after the two home games) we'll either be in a position to say that we are more or less over the line for another year, or deep in trouble, not sure if there will be any in between!

My apologies that we have slightly delayed your promotion party!

 

Think your assessment of the game is spot on Bluebird. I sent texts to my mates who weren't at the game that I didn't have a fecking clue at H-T how we were still level, but the substitutions and Cardiff's apparent contentment to sit back and defend their lead completely changed the game.

Enjoyed it, even though I was somewhat "concerned" when I had to get myself let out of the away compound after the game and walk back to the industrial estate virtually on my own. But it wasn't a problem.

Only issue was the parking ticket I got, along with a number of others. What I found slightly funny about it (only slightly) is that the Cardiff fan parked in front of me, who also got a ticket, said "yeah, never had a problem here before, until I got one last game". So, I thought, after getting a ticket, you went back and parked in the same place? A case of more money than sense?

 

Exactly.

Tarn through and through.

 

Wardens sometimes have a purge with parking, but very rarely. Besides, you'd used up your luck inside the ground Another poster from here took my advice and parked in the ASDA/retail park area without problems. Think they've given up issueing them now as they (and we) know they're unenforcible. Fans laugh at them putting them on the windscreens & just bin them.

 

I hadn't seen your advice but I did consider that, but it was 7.30 by this stage and I thought that either I would be wasting more time trying to get in there because either (a) I would be turned away or (b) if you were allowed to park in there, at that time there would be no spaces left. Wished I had now. What irked me was that I was right in the corner of a cul de sac (up to road next to the Nissan dealer) in the industrial estate area off the roundabout, literally at the top, hurting or blocking no-one. Just robbing motorists. Don't get me started.....

 

My lad went and it sounds a pretty balanced view there BB,said we could have been 3 down by half time,he thought the combination of subs on both sides changed the nature of the game and you began to look a bit nervous/vulnerable....and the Fergie time rarely works for us..which makes a change.As for Perkins he's an awesome little player and largely responsible for where we are now..and by that I don't mean near the bottom of the table,but battling back from the dead on Jan 1st,and in with more than a good shout of staying up,if he was 20 rather than 30,there'd be a queue a mile long to relieve us of his services.

PS he thought your rendition of Men of Harlech was awesome!!!...he is a big fan of Zulu though!

 

Did you take my advice about the forum to try and get it cancelled?