Cardiff 2 - 0 Coventry
Cardiff City's attack in the recent games has been fluent and efficient. The Welsh side are producing lots of good chances and with Michael Chopra’s current good form, most of these chances are being taken.
However the difference between this season and last is Jay Bothroyd. This season Bothroyd can have the ball played to him. In the air or on the floor, he will hold the ball up. Before he couldn’t do this, he would either get muscled off the ball and try and claim a free kick or attempt to flick the ball straight on. But this season it’s all changed, he’s managing to hold on the ball and this is allowing Cardiff to keep hold of possession. Bothroyd can then either bring our wingers into the game, or play the ball back to the central midfielders.
I’ve always love night games especially when there’s a slight drizzle, which is lit up by the bright lights of the stadium. It’s as if there a cloud of fairies above the game sprinkling magical dust down onto the pitch. This dust must have helped, for Cardiff started well, with some good passing producing an early corner. The corner was well defended by Coventry City but they could only clear as far Peter Whittingham, who delivered another deep cross. This time Antony Gerard rose highest and knocked the ball into the top left corner of the net, to score his first Cardiff goal, after 4 minutes. This gave the crowd something to cheer about, and I don’t know whether it’s the fact that we sit right in the middle of the Canton Stand, but the atmosphere seemed electric.
Then on the 8th minute David Marshall pulled off what looked like the best save of the season so far. Freddy Eastwood had got ahead of Adam Matthews and produced a good cross from the right that floated through to Clinton Morrison. Morrison caught the ball sweetly on a volley that flew across Marshall, heading for the top corner. Fortunately the Scottish international pulled off an amazing diving save. 10 minutes later Leon Best hit a shot into Cardiff’s side netting, after a lay-off by Michael McIndoe.
With Coventry keeping hold of the possession, Cardiff needed to use the ball well when they got it. And they did on the 13th minute, with good play from Bothroyd on the right wing giving him the chance to place the ball into the path of Matthews; a path that took the 17 year old into the box, where his cross was blocked. But the ball found its way to Stephen McPhail via Joe Ledley, allowing the Irishman to blast his shot over the bar. Then after a few minutes with Coventry on the ball, Cardiff broke again. And again it was Bothroyd’s good play on the wing, which provided the chance. He managed to square the ball to McPhail, who in turn slipped it through to Ledley. The Welshman then combined with Chopra, but Chopra’s shot was straight at the keeper.
After a long period of Coventry possession, they managed to force a corner on the 21st minute. But the delivery was poor and it was successfully defended by Ledley. This was a cue for Coventry to start to get back into the game. And another chance came their way after a hand-ball by Whittingham ten yards from the Cardiff box. I think the Coventry player who took the free kick might have some vendetta against Bothroyd, because he struck the ball straight into the Islington-born striker’s crown jewels. But if that wasn’t enough the ball fell to the Coventry player again and he tried to shoot through Bothroyd again, catching him in the same place. Coventry were perking up. They still kept hold of the ball but they were starting to produce chances to show for their possession.
Chris Burke managed to get a glimpse of the ball on the half-hour mark and led a good counter down the wing, where he cut in and shot wide. Then a minute later Burke countered again, down the middle this time, but again he shot wide. Two minutes later Matthews played a brilliant pass to set Chopra through, but the English striker was pulled down and the offender was awarded a yellow card. Bothroyd took command of the free kick and blazed it over the bar. This was a good spell of pressure for Cardiff and a minute later they got a corner after Whittingham’s cross was blocked. The corner was played in and Gerard met the ball again, but this time he could only find the top row of the stand instead of the top corner of the goal. This was when Cardiff started to put some good passing phases together. It all seemed a lot easier than it did on Saturday; this was down the presence of McPhail, who was pulling all the strings from the centre of the pitch. Cardiff picked up the tempo with 5 minutes left of the first half, with Bothroyd doing another brilliant job of holding the ball up, allowing Cardiff to flood forward into an attack. The ball went from Bothroyd on the wing to Burke, to Chopra on the edge of the box, to Whittingham in the box, whose shot was saved. It was awesome one-touch football.
Over the first half Coventry had seen a lot of the ball, but Cardiff have not allowed them many chances, which was mainly down to Gerard having his best game of the season so far. Cardiff were also attacking well, which is something you would come to expect from a team that has scored 10 goals in two games.
I couldn’t see much of the start of the second half, due to the fans coming back from their half time booze up. But from the noises the crowd were making I’m guessing that Cardiff started the brighter in the first 5 minutes. That moved to the first 10 minutes after Burke skinned his marker, and supplied a good cross that was blocked on the 52nd minute. Then good play between Whittingham and Chopra, gave Whittingham a chance in the box, but the Under 21 England international could neither get his shot away nor find Chopra again.
On the 56th minute, McPhail ignored the crowd’s chants from him to shoot and played a delicious, ball to Chopra who had floated to the back post. Chopra, in the great form he is in, struck the ball first time, but unfortunately he volleyed the ball into the turf and it bounced over the bar. The hour mark brought about another good chance for Chopra, but the English striker was denied by a good save from Coventry keeper Keiren Westwood. Westwood couldn’t hold onto the ball and it fell to Bothroyd, whose attempted shot was foiled by a Coventry defender who stuck out a leg to deflect it. Alas the defender caught Bothroyd first, giving Peter Whittingham the chance to enhance upon his 8 goals from the penalty spot. Whittingham didn’t need to be asked twice and he sent Westwood the wrong way, doubling Cardiff’s lead.
Burke was having another good game on Cardiff’s right. Each time he got the ball he looks to take it forward and attack. And when Bothroyd fed him with a pass on the 62nd minute, he took the chance to gallop forward again. The Irishman used his pace to good measure, knocking the ball past Patrick Van Aanholt. The Dutch left back then pulled Burke down, getting a yellow card for his troubles. This left Aanolt in some trouble because each time Burke got the ball, his intention is going to be to attack and pass Aanholt, so all the left back could do was either watch Burke skip past him or foul him again and risk getting sent off.
When a good move from Cardiff that involved Ledley, McPhail and Chopra ended with an over hit return ball from Chopra to Ledley, Aanholt didn’t need to worry about being sent off because Chris Coleman decided to put his sensible hat on and sub off the booked man. He brought on Chris Hussey who is currently on loan from AFC Wimbledon.
After some good play by McPhail, winning the ball back after a strong battle against a Coventry midfielder, the ball came to Whittingham, who trotted down the middle of the pitch seemingly unchallenged until he reached the penalty area, where he released a stinging shot that soared over the bar. With 20 minutes left Coventry were trying to pick up the pace and with a lucky bounce falling to Eastwood, attacked down the middle of the park. Gerard left the Welshman too much room, but fortunately Eastwood, familiar with the standard of Welsh football, struck a lame shot straight at Marshall. Then a minute later Coventry were caught sleeping at the back and Chopra managed to break away from the defence, but his attempted chip rebounded off the goal where the post and crossbar met.
The 19,000 strong crowd were creating a great atmosphere and Cardiff were replying to it with some good play and hard work. Especially from Bothroyd, who was criticised for his lack of effort last season. Bothroyd showed his new found determination and grit as he nicked the ball from a Coventry defender and set off in an attack down the right wing. When he reached the by-line he cut back, but the attempted cross was blocked by an outstretched Coventry leg. The resultant corner gave Gerard another chance, which he used to head the ball towards the goal, but the header deflected off Bothroyd and Westwood managed to stop a fortunate goal with a quick adjustment of his feet.
There weren’t that many chances for either side in the last ten minutes, bar a few lame shots by Burke and Coventry’s Jack Court, on-loan from Chelsea. The stand out thing for me in the last few minutes was the fans’ cheers whenever Chris Hussey got the ball. This was due to whenever Coventry had possession, he would run up the left, and scream for the ball only to be ignored by his team mates. The Cardiff fans noticed this and started to cheer whenever he wouldn’t get the ball. They soon felt sorry for Hussey and started to cheer every touch he got of the ball, which were few and far between.
Overall this had been a good and solid performance by Cardiff. The defence seemed capable and looked solid, while the attack was formidable; yet again.
