Chopra shoots down former pals THEY say you don't know what you've got until it's gone. In Michael Chopra''s case, Barnsley do: five goals in three games, 17 for the season so far. Statistics that would keep any manager in a job, most teams in the league. If anything it was a stuck on, copper bottomed cert last night, win, lose or draw to Cardiff, Chopra was going to figure on the scoresheet against Barnsley, the first club to give him an even break. The bandy Geordie graced Oakwell two seasons ago and topped scored. He's the same gifted striker... only better. He probably didn't need Antony Kay's helping hand to create the first goal last night for Peter Whittingham. He certainly did not require and assist for the second. A freekick strike moments before the break which effectively killed the game and made the second half a graveyard shift. Barnsley were better in the second half. More improved when the first of the Hungarians appeared. But it was the same old story for manager Simon Davey to tell. Chances created do not win you anything. Cardiff boss David Jones was spot-on with his view. "In the second half, if it was a boxing match Barnsley jabbed us many times but they didn't find the knock-out that we had in the first half," he reckoned. "Barnsley had a lot of possession, probably too much for us but they didn't hurt us. They were playing in front of us. "I thought Barnsley were fantastic, they never gave up but they never hurt us," he added. The hurt was all Barnsley's. Even before Cardiff took the lead as early as the 11th minute shots from Paul Parry and Steve Thompson had been thumped at keeper Nick Colgan. The breakthrough came via a Kay blunder. The Barnsley centre half headed possession to Chopra outside the box. He sprinted and spun and smacked the ball from right to left across the area, Barnsley skipper Paul Reid got a bit of a block on it and it steamed towards the far post where brave Whittingham stuck his neck out for a nod down and over. Colgan got a glove on it and pushed in onto the post, too late. Barnsley remained up against it and Parry hit another drive from range against the outside of the post. Sam Togwell responded in kind with a big hit of his own. Simon Walton got to that and his deflection made keeper Neil Alexander's save tougher. Still he managed it. Chopra wrapped up the points just ahead of the break. A tussle with Kay (who else?) brought a freekick dead centre and just a yard or so outside the box. Chopra's shot was up and over the wall, Colgan got a glove on it and succeeded in pushing it further into the top right hand corner of his goal. Just ahead of that, Cardiff lost left back Joe Ledley to a leg injury and just after that sub Kevin McNaughton jumped for a header and tumbled onto his neck. He was stretchered off and rushed to hospital but later last night left casualty in a taxi, right as rain. Barnsley never recovered from the first half. The best that happened came after the break. Daniel Nardiello forced a save from the keeper from a sharp angle before he was taken off the replaced by Peter Rajczi, who looked lively without achieving much. Marc Richards forced another stop from keeper Alexander. This time a difficult diving punch. On came Barnsley's second and third subs. The other Hungarian, Istvan Ferenczi, and Kyel Reid. Even so Cardiff sub Willo Flood looked more likely to score. And that was before he landed his boot in poor Brian Howard's face
