It’s well and truly gutting to see the players look second best to one of the less good teams that have visited Gresty Road this season. It was windy, but that went nowhere near far enough to be claimed as an excuse. Highlight of the day, yep there was one, was hearing Stoke’s game being called off due to high winds - Stoke with the fans who complained to the Football League because of our frost bitten pitch last month.
However, we lost, so we cannot laugh as much as we would like to. The usual story of a reshuffled defence was the team news, Chris McCready, Anthony Tonkin making a return to the starting eleven with Richard Walker dropped from the 16, and Hignett dropped to the bench. Behind the back four was Ben Williams, the Manchester United goalkeeper on loan for a month.
Williams
B.Jones - Foster - McCready - Tonkin
Lunt - Sorvel - Cochrane - Vaughan
Ashton - Jones
‘The Wind and The Rain’
So, maybe no rain but it was damn windy. Walking up to the ground, it was hard to stay on your feet with the gusts hitting you from the left. So out on the field must have been hell, with Crewe being chosen, by Cardiff, to attack into the wind during the first half it was troubling - particularly for Ben Williams in goal.
The 21 year old, making his debut, had trouble getting the distance on kicks as the ball held up in the air on the half way line before being blown back midway into the Crewe half. The ball failed to stay put for Kenny Lunts set pieces, although the quality of them were dreadful anyway, and particularly farcical were the clearances.
One moment saw Sorvels bullet header away from goal result in it being blown from the centre of the pitch, out for a throw in. Then when Cochrane had the ball near the technical areas, the slightest touch to control the ball saw the wind carry it off the pitch.
Cardiff weren’t especially good in the first half, far from it, but the wind kept their momentum up on every attack and we failed in every attempt to beat the wind. Most of our play was through our Welsh Wizard David Vaughan who took the lead role in the midfield to give us that creative edge. We could have done with him in midfield at West Ham.
First (Half) Chance Galore
When you get a 21-year-old reserve keeper from the Premiership, then it is an unknown quantity. Young goalkeepers from the Premiership are always either amazing, therefore in their first 16 every week, or clueless - never an in between, but maybe Ben Williams proved that theory wrong.
Without a single training session, Williams had only known his team mates for hours after being drafted in late on Friday. He soon won the fans and player’s confidence in him as he made a string of fine stops. Of course, all missed chances were not down to him as Cardiff helped us out - Rob Earnshaw nearly taking advantage of the wind causing the ball to loop into the penalty area, only Earnshaws overhead kick from 6 yards went well over within the first 10 minutes
Not a complete image of the game, we were in it as much as Cardiff. After Gareth Whalley forced Williams into a comfortable save from 30 yards it was Dean Ashton who tested the new Welsh keeper Martyn Margetson. His usually run caused havoc for the Cardiff defence as he took it down the left into the area and smashed hit shot at goal, the shot was from a similar angle his scored against West Brom from, only this time Margetsons two hands pushed it across the face of goal before it was cleared.
We were on top as less than 60 seconds later Chris McCready’s diving header, from a corner, was against parried out by the keeper. It was Margetson again when Jones should have made it 1-0 to Crewe but you know Jones, one-week scores two crackers the next could not score for toffee. Ashton held the ball up on the half way line but his legs were taken from under him, but quick thinking from Ashton saw him, on his arse, slice the ball down the middle for Jones. Daniel Gabbidon, in the Cardiff defence, tried to block the ball but it crept under his foot and Jonah was away.
From his two touches, you knew he wouldn’t score, first touch was too weak and his second was too hard and his toe-poke hit the keepers’ legs before being cleared.
Ben Williams soon got his chance to impress. A fantastic double save help him gain a bit of confidence, Tony Vidmar hit a shot from 25 yards but Williams got down to his left to push it out before a rebound from Richard Langley forced him to get down low to push it off the line again before Lunt cleared for a corner.
From a separate corner, his quick reactions denied a point blank header from Cardiff, and then a long-range smashing drive saw him comfortably save it at head height.
Super Ben… oh bugger…
Williams was shaping up to be hero of the day. His fine saves kept us in it, although the same could be said about Cardiff’s keeper. His quick reactions denied Rob Earnshaw from running free and despite no training sessions, the youngster kept good communication between himself and the back four - although not totally perfect.
It was unfortunate that he had the bad luck of having to kick into the wind, but he managed it ok, even if his kicks in the first half were forced back inside the Crewe half. Then again, when four defenders totally ignore the signs for help - he had no other choice.
It was rather unfortunate for him that the goal that won it was a fluke, with a tad poor judgement in there.
It wasn’t even a shot, or chip, from Gary Croft on the edge of the area. He hit a half cross and half shot into the box and it looped up, Williams looked as if he knew it was going out for a goal kick but as he turned to ‘return’ the ball he was surprised to see it come crashing back off his right post and rebound into the net off his chest.
You could feel the Crewe fans not only gutted at the goal itself but for Williams to concede like that - you felt sorry for him.
Second Half Advantage… maybe.
The Cardiff goal was sandwiched in between good opportunities for Crewe, but then we did have the advantage, surely? Keeping it at 0-0 for the first 45 minutes was fully professional, so lets go for it, with the wind behind us, in the second half.
We were betrayed, we weren’t struggling to play in the wind. Cardiff played well enough and created enough opportunities to make it a fair game. We created fewer opportunities - with the wind behind us.
The one chance we should have tooked away was down to Dean Ashton and Steve Jones, the frightening partnership.
Jonah went free on goal again and rounded the keeper, but on the byline with 3 defenders back in the box he had to cross it. Ashton came storming onto his cross but somehow toe-poked it inches past the right post. The worst thing was, it was an empty net as the keeper had followed Jones to the edge of the box on the by line. The whole of Gresty Road certainly thought it was in, but luck just wasn’t on our side.
Vaughan then tried, around the 60th minute, a spectacular windy run then a smashing shot towards the top right corner from the edge of the area. Oh so nearly. It went wide
The goal came at the wrong time, we were probably ready to nick a goal. Cardiff had only threatened with shots twice before the goal, both Alan Lee weak shots. The goal lifted us, somehow, didn’t it?
David Vaughan was playing out of his skin, everything, and I mean everything, was going through him. He was centre stage once again when he had a shot from the edge of the area, this one forced Margetson into another fine parry over the bar.
Oh, but we did try for ten minutes. Dario threw on Hignett for a more creative spark then Edwards for more attacking options, then Adie Moses for, well…. I’m not sure. Neil Sorvel nearly became the unlikely hero, but still very much one of our better players these days, when his rasping shot/volley went whistling past the right-up-right.
However, as Earnshaw fired over from 20 yards - it was never going to be.
Quit moaning, Guv
Reading and hearing views from other fans - it’s soon become apparent that most are panicking or just plain fickle. First, to anyone who claims Dario isn’t up to the job should search for the nearest cliff now. It’s oh so easy to criticise when things are going wrong but the man is a god and always will be, stop trying to be ‘cool’ by being different - you’re not cool, you’re just a bit stupid. Not to say Dario is blameless, but please, Dario leaving would send this club into the twilight zone, remember October?
Christ, why am I even taking these calls seriously.
Not only is Dario’s head being called for but the players should be sleeping with their eyes open as well. It’s not funny and it’s not clever to say so-and-so aren’t good enough because of a few poor games. Kenny Lunt, the man in question, has had a poor March, granted, but he’s our most experienced levelheaded player. He’s topping the assists charts again this season after getting 20 last seasons; he has had an amazing season until recently - an unsung hero.
As for some saying they may not bother with Stoke, well… please do. I understand the pure frustration at the team but you need to over power that frustration and get behind the team - no matter what the last, and how bad the, result was.
Saturday was down to another poor performance and it’s this match, which has brought out the coffee for everyone to smell. We’re in serious danger here. Two wins sounds easy but will it even be enough, if we get there.
We’ve officially been dragged into a relegation dog top, anything above 15th is a pipe dream now. Clear all thoughts of “Could have so easily been in the play-offs”, it couldn’t have been - get over it! Concentrate on this factor - survival.
Sorry to be arrogant but we shouldn’t be finishing below teams like Burnley, Gillingham and Watford. We can’t fall to that level after such a bright start. I wish I could say what the problem is, other than pure confidence crisis, but Dario started the team I wanted to see - with the exception of Moses in defence and Billy in midfield, maybe that’s the problem!
Saturday’s performance goes down as a average one compared to many we’ve seen in 2004, but when we put in a above poor performance luck doesn’t go our way. Bright things to come out of the game were the defence, Williams in goal looked a mighty fine keeper and it’ll be interesting if he can keep it up, the reshuffled back four of Tonkin, Foster, McCready and Billy looked a lot more solid but for pure experience in these situations lets see Moses in ahead of Billy, with Macca at right back, would leave us with our best defensive line up in yonks… just need Wrighty back.
The midfield lacked the leader, we harp on about Brammer but he is still what we need. Yeah, yeah, we won when he wasn’t here four months ago but jeez, doesn’t mean we don’t miss him or a player of his stature. He’s the force, he calms the play and gets the youngsters calm. He grabs the ball from the opposition and slows the game down. He gets behind the players and urges them on, Cochrane tries but he rushes everything and is always at 100mph.
So the player ratings:
Williams - 8 - Some fine saves that kept Cardiff out of the game, just feel sorry for him the way he conceded a goal.
Tonkin - 7 - Neither here nor there. He’s improving over time and needs to be in that left back for one reason - VAUGHAN.
McCready - 7 - Nothing too fancy but solid as a rock. He’s a top player, who’d have one hell of a future, just injury problems will deny him of that.
Foster - 7 - Same as Macca, solid as a rock and kept Earnshaw from getting anywhere within shooting range. Top performance to say Earnshaw’s out done him 3 times in the past 2 season.
Billy Jones - 7 - Wouldn’t say he’s poor, nor would I agree with Simon on him ‘burning out’, but a 16 year old shouldn’t be handed a relegation battle in his first season.
Lunt - 5 - Looked lethargic, looked tired, looked bored… deliveries were piss poor. Wake up Kenny!
Cochrane - 7 - You’ll always get a battle and 100% from this one!
Sorvel - 7 - He doesn’t deserve the barracking he’s been getting recently, as our season has turned on its head, his has been getting increasingly better.
Vaughan - 8 - Amazing, superb, wonderful, delightful… he’s one hell of a player. He was us for 90 minutes. Man of the match.
Ashton - 7 - I think he’s getting bored of playing out of his skin whilst everyone else decides they’ll give up. Certainly looked like it in the second half, he gave up as much as Lunt.
Jones - 7 - Threatening, always is, but isn’t scoring the chances when they count.