Tuesday
8th August 2006,
Coca-Cola Championship, Ninian
Park, Kick-Off 7:45pm
|
Cardiff City |
1 - 1 |
Albion |
|
Scimeca 33 |
18,506 |
Gera 4 |
|
|
|
|
|
1 |
Half-Time Score |
1 |
|
59% |
Possession |
41% |
|
4 |
Shots On Target |
5 |
|
10 |
Shots Off Target |
6 |
|
10 |
Corners |
5 |
|
6 |
Fouls Against |
17 |
|
8 |
Offsides |
2 |
|
1 |
Yellow Cards |
3 |
|
0 |
Red Cards |
0 |
Cardiff City:
Neil Alexander, Kerrea Gilbert, Roger Johnson, Glenn Loovens, Kevin
McNaughton, Joe Ledley, Stephen McPhail, Riccardo Scimeca, Paul Parry (Willo
Flood 85), Steven Thompson (Kevin Campbell 73), Michael Chopra. Subs not
used: Mark Howard (gk), Jeff Whitley, Luigi Glombard
 Chopra 61
(ungentlemanly conduct)
Albion: Pascal
Zuberbuhler, Steve Watson, Curtis Davies (C), Chris Perry, Paul Robinson,
Zoltan Gera, Ronnie Wallwork (Junichi Inamoto 81), Nigel Quashie, Jonathan
Greening (Richard Chaplow 63), Nathan Ellington (Darren Carter 43), John
Hartson. Subs not used: Russell Hoult (gk), Martin Albrechtsen
Wallwork
18 (foul), Greening 35 (foul), Gera 45+1 (handball), Perry 61 (ungentlemanly
conduct)
Referee: Chris Foy (Merseyside)
Conditions:
Cool, calm and dry evening
ALBION
TEAM NEWS:
Baggies’ boss Bryan Robson kept faith with the team that beat
Hull City 2-0 at The
Hawthorns on Saturday. The only change came on the substitutes' bench with
Russell Hoult replacing the Manchester United bound Tomasz Kuszczak.
CARDIFF
CITY
TEAM NEWS:
City made one change to the side that beat
Barnsley on Saturday with
Roger Johnson coming into defence for the injured Darren Purse. Former
Albion star Riccardo Scimeca started for the Bluebirds whilst another
ex-Baggie Kevin Campbell was on the bench.
BAGGIES BATTLE TO A
DRAW IN CARDIFF
If anyone connected with West Bromwich Albion was unsure to
what the Championship was all about then tonight in
South Wales gave them a few
answers. A packed Ninian Park produced a red-hot atmosphere and with the
recent bad blood between the two clubs regarding Jason Koumas, the game took
on a feeling of a grudge match.
Baggies’ boss Bryan Robson kept faith with the team that beat
Hull at The Hawthorns on Saturday, the only change coming on the bench with
Russell Hoult replacing Tomasz Kuszczak. The Polish international’s absence
clearly indicating that his departure from The Hawthorns is imminent.
Albion started brightly and
took the lead on four minutes through Zoltan Gera. From a Jonathan Greening
corner John Hartson forced City defender Kevin McNaughton into heading
against his own bar, Hungarian midfielder Gera the quickest to react heading
the loose ball into the net from close range to give the visitors an early
lead. The goal also brought about the welcome return of Gera's somersault
celebration.
Bryan Robson’s men had started just as they had at The
Hawthorns on Saturday, unfortunately it wasn’t to last. Roared on by a very
vocal home support
Cardiff
gradually got themselves into the game and on 16 minutes former Baggie
Riccardo Scimeca had his team’s first effort on goal of the night but only
managed to fire well wide from 25 yards.
Despite the game now being end-to-end, goalmouth action was
at a premium, although
Albion came close to extending their lead twice in the space of a
couple of minutes. First a Greening cross was met at the back post by Paul
Robinson, Alexander pulling off a neat save to prevent the former Watford
defender marking his 100th start for the club with a goal. Then Ellington,
who had otherwise been largely anonymous, unleashed a vicious 20 yard effort
that produced another fine save from Alexander in the Bluebirds’ goal.
Albion were soon to pay for their failure to put the ball in
the net when on 33 minutes Scimeca got on the end of a Stephen McPhail cross
to head past a static defence from 12 yards. The goal certainly gave the
hosts confidence and Michael Chopra, Joe Ledley and Steven Thompson all went
close to putting City in front before half-time.
Two minutes before the interval
Albion suffered a huge blow
with the loss of Ellington through injury. Darren Carter replaced the former
Wigan man but with no other striker on the bench goalscorer
Gera was forced to partner Hartson up front.
The hosts continued their dominance after the break without
really threatening Zuberbuhler’s goal, Curtis Davies and Chris Perry once
again forming a formidable barrier in front of him. With the exception of a
Hartson effort that ballooned over the bar,
Albion didn’t really look
like scoring and City continued to look the better team with ex-Newcastle
United striker Chopra in particular causing the
Albion defence problems.
The introduction of former
Albion striker Kevin
Campbell, who was met by a mixed reaction from the travelling support,
seemed to end City’s threat as an attacking force. The barely mobile
Campbell was easily marked out of the game by Perry and Davies.
With City’s attacks becoming rare
Albion started to push
forward again, Nigel Quashie, Ronnie Wallwork and substitute Richard Chaplow
trying their luck from long-distance. Although the visitors were finishing
the stronger team they almost conceded right at the death, Chopra
volleying just wide from Ledley's cross.
A late winner for either side would have been unfair and
despite City perhaps being the better side on the night
Albion did just about
deserve a point for their battling qualities if nothing else.
Aside from the result, the most worrying aspect of the night
was the injury to Nathan Ellington. With just two experienced strikers at
the club we simply must sign at least one more before the transfer deadline
and failure to do so will cost us promotion.
ALBION MAN OF THE MATCH:
Curtis Davies
CARDIFF CITY MAN OF THE MATCH:
Michael Chopra
PLAYER RATINGS OUT OF TEN
Zuberbuhler
4 - Again looked unsure with crosses into the
area and communication appeared poor.
Watson 5 - Battled well but looked
off the pace.
Robinson 6 -
Typical solid performance.
Davies
7 - Not at his very best but the pick of the bunch.
Perry 7 - Another decent performance.
Wallwork 5 - Sloppy in possession and
fortunate not to be sent off.
Quashie 4 - Passing was very poor,
struggled.
Greening 4 - Never in game.
Gera
6 - Worked hard in unfamiliar striking role and took goal well.
Hartson 5 - Got stuck in but failed to trouble City goalkeeper.
Ellington 4 - Apart
from one shot posed no threat before limping off injured.
SUBS:
Carter 5 - Worked hard but achieved little.
Chaplow 5 - Almost scored late winner but
otherwise quiet.
Inamoto 4 - Struggled to make impact.
REF
WATCH
Chris Foy 3 - Seemed way too keen to punish
Albion for the slightest thing.
FAN
WATCH
Albion
5 - Loud to start with but soon went quiet.
Cardiff City 8 - Very vocal support,
encouraged their team throughout. Mark Thomas
Riccardo Scimeca scored against his former club to earn current employers
Cardiff a point in their Coca-Cola Championship clash with
West Brom. But the Bluebirds, who had trailed to Zoltan Gera's
fourth-minute strike, dominated much of the second half but were unable to
create any real chances as they opened their home campaign with a draw. The two
clubs have spent much of the summer quibbling over Welsh winger Jason Koumas'
move to Ninian Park, but that was brushed under the carpet as both sides looked
to follow up winning starts at the weekend.
Cardiff,
who were 2-1 victors at Barnsley, were forced into a change with former Baggies
defender Darren Purse out with a calf problem, handing former Wycombe captain
Roger Johnson a full debut. As for the Baggies, they were unchanged from the 2-0
win over Hull, albeit with goalkeeper Tomasz Kuszczak omitted from the bench
amid rumours of a move to Manchester United.
It
was Bryan Robson's side who made a stunning start when Gera, another man linked
with a move away from The Hawthorns in the summer, met Jonathan Greening's
corner at the far post and headed past Neil Alexander. The visitors again came
close when Alexander was called into action twice in the space of two minutes,
first to deny Paul Robinson's header from Greening's cross and then Nathan
Ellington from close range. However, the Bluebirds drew level on 33 minutes when
a Michael Chopra cross was only cleared as far as Stephen McPhail whose cross
was headed home by Scimeca. Just before the break Albion were dealt another blow
when striker Ellington had to be replaced by Darren Carter due to injury.
It
was the home side who started the second half the strongest, with the right-wing
combination of Paul Parry and Arsenal loanee Kerrea Gilbert looking particularly
dangerous. Welsh striker John Hartson ballooned a rare West Brom effort over the
bar, before Gera sent a shot just wide from the edge of the box.
Cardiff
boss Dave Jones tried to freshen up his attack by replacing Steven Thompson with
another former Baggie in Kevin Campbell and Chopra was then denied by Pascal
Zuberbuhler in the visitors' goal as the Bluebirds looked to turn their
dominance into a winning goal. Nigel Quashie then had a long-range effort saved
by Alexander, before Ronnie Wallwork and Richard Chaplow were both off target
from outside the box. The game failed to produce the sort of blockbusting finish
that much of the earlier action had promised but Chopra did flash a late shot
wide from Joe Ledley's cross. For all of Cardiff's endeavours, they failed to
create any real chances in the second period and will probably be the more
disappointed of the two sides to claim just a solitary point.
Sporting Life
Bryan Robson:
"It certainly was a competitive game and
Cardiff threw everything at
us in the first half. We were hanging on a bit. We didn't keep the ball too
well and were dropping too deep.
"But I thought we battled well and in the second half we came
into the game more. By the end of the match, I thought we were the side who
could score another goal.
"There was a great atmosphere and I thought both sides put a
lot of energy into the game."
Dave Jones:
"I thought that was an excellent advert for Championship
football. If that doesn't get the fans in then I don't know what will. If
we can get over eighteen thousand on a Tuesday night then there's no
reason we can't get that all the time.
“I thought we had them at one stage tonight.
"When we beat
Barnsley on Saturday, people were saying it was only
Barnsley, but they had a
good win tonight and they've shown that they are decent side.
"I think Bryan Robson will be glad to go home with a draw
tonight. The more we play together the better we will get and I hope to add
to this and get stronger.
"Tonight was a big team effort that was power base football
and very good strong play."
Albion extend their unbeaten record against the 'Bluebirds' to
ten games. Albion's last
defeat came in December 1960, a 3-1 loss at
Ninian
Park.
Paul Robinson makes his 100th start for the club.
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