Night to forget, but it’s a point for City

Feb 13 2008 Steve Tucker, Western Mail

Coventry City 0-0 Cardiff City

STALEMATE in the west Midlands and it is hard to work out which team will be happier with their point here. Probably neither to be honest.

Cardiff City will take some comfort from the fact that they have arrested their two-game losing streak at a location never the easiest to play at. But that will be tempered by the knowledge they created enough chances here that, with a little more composure, they could well have taken all the spoils.

Coventry, without a manager after the departure of Iain Dowie on Monday, will probably be glad to see the ship settled a little, but will accept a point at home is not exactly the major boost they need as they hover just above the trapdoor of the Championship.

What is for sure is that the supporters who witnessed this will hardly be talking about it for years to come as both sides huffed and puffed, but never managed to lift proceedings out of the distinctly average.

Much of the major excitement from a Cardiff perspective came ahead of kick-off.

Manager Dave Jones had hinted he would be swinging the axe after losing patience with his side and he was true to his word, well, sort of.

In fact the Bluebirds boss only made two changes from the side which had lost against Stoke and Norwich, but it involved ruthless surgery none the less. Out went goalkeeper Michael Oakes, consigned to the bench after shipping four goals in those last two outings, in came Finnish international Peter Enckelman to make his first start for the Bluebirds since arriving on loan from Blackburn.

But the biggest surprise came in the heart of midfield. Team captain Stephen McPhail was dumped to the bench with Wales Under-21 international Aaron Ramsey given just his second league start in the Irishman’s place.

The 17-year-old had hugely impressed in his last outing, a 3-1 victory over OPR at Ninian Park, and although Jones had been keen to protect the youngster, the Bluebirds boss obviously felt the time was right to unleash him here.

Another Cardiff youngster raised eyebrows with his inclusion amongst the substitutes with teenage striker Jonathan Brown included in the 16 for the first time.

Highly-rated at Ninian Park, the 17-year-old also recently found himself called up to Brian Flynn’s Welsh under-21 set-up and was also to make his senior debut for Cardiff here when he came on with two minutes left.

Coventry’s caretaker duo of John Harbin and Frankie Bunn made five changes from the side humbled at Preston over the weekend, a result which sounded the death knell for Dowie.

Most were for injuries, but top scorer Michael Mifsud returned after having apparently recovered sufficiently from his international exertions with Malta last week. In goal Andy Marshall had overcome a back injury to replace Dimi Konstantopoulos which is just as well as we would have been here all night typing that every five minutes.

In the interests of Bluebirds train spotters we should also note here that Julian Gray, who once spent a loan spell at Ninian Park, kept his place on the left for the Sky Blues.

The Ricoh Arena is a magnificent stadium by Championship standards, but with vast swathes of empty seats atmosphere was hard to come by. The pitch too looked like it had seen better days with so much sand about you wondered when the deck chairs were going to come out.

But there was no time for such relaxation as the game began in rather urgent fashion. The home side having the best of it early on, probing and looking dangerous particularly down the right in the shape of the effervescent Jay Tabb, who had grabbed the winner when the two sides last met at Ninian Park back in August.

But the Sky Blues were not doing Cardiff any fundamental damage and the Bluebirds popped their heads out of their shells and liked what they saw.

On six minutes Gavin Rae, captaining in place of McPhail, put himself about in midfield, fed Peter Whittingham, but the wideman’s cute little ball was rather over-cooked and Marshall was out to smother with Jimmy-Floyd Hasselbaink menacing.

On 10 minutes came a moment which will ring alarm bells for those with one eye on the near future. Glenn Loovens brashly body-checked Tabb as he looked to make progress. The Dutchman was rightly booked by referee McDermid.

It was the centre-half’s 10th of the season and he will miss two games, but will be available for Wolves in the FA Cup on Saturday with the suspension not kicking in for seven days.

The Bluebirds were keen to apply pressure and in something of a role reversal it was Coventry operating on the quick counter-attack. But, for all the cut and thrust, there were too few real thrills to be had as both sides cancelled themselves out like one of those arm-wrestling contests which goes on for three hours until no one can be bothered anymore and everyone gives up and goes home.

On 27 minutes, Mifsud was given an age just outside the City box, but put his shot wide. Three minutes later Paul Parry returned the favour, cutting inside, only to see his shot saved by Marshall.

Moments later though there was a moment of controversy, Mifsud was played through, but the linesman raised his flag for offside. It was a decision which looked very marginal.

To be honest, talking about that was just about as exciting as it got up until half-time with Scott Dann’s free-kick eluding the wall, but also the post and Tab again trying from long range, but failing to hit the target the only moments worth noting.

Things had to get better in the second period and they did, almost instantaneously. Rae went surging through almost from the restart and his venomous shot was smacked away by Marshall, it fell to Parry, six yards out, but Marshall was up again to save brilliantly from the striker.

A minute later Parry drove for goal again, but his swerving shot was met by another good, if unorthodox stop from the Sky Blues keeper.

Both sides were desperate for the breakthrough, but a distinct lack of quality and a shot-shy nature at times contrived to uphold the parity.

It was really Cardiff who were creating the better of things and Parry should have scored on 75 minutes when Hasselbaink’s cheeky back-heel put him through, but Marshall was allowed to save again.

It was Hasselbaink’s last action, despite the veteran looking lively, as he was withdrawn and Steve Thompson introduced. The big Scot’s first action was to head straight at Marshall after Roger Johnson had headed back across goal from a corner.

At the other end Johnson and his defensive colleagues were coping pretty well with what Coventry offered.

On 80 minutes McPhail, by now on after Joe Ledley had limped off on in the 64th minute, contrived to play the ball straight to Sky Blues substitute Robbie Simpson, but Enckelman, who had looked reasonably solid if hardly over-worked, saved the shot comfortably.

The Bluebirds now take a break from league action for that crunch FA Cup tie on Saturday. You have to hope it is a bit more of a thriller than this affair. On refection. it has to be really.