Will City rue missed chances?

Apr 19 2008 by Terry Phillips, South Wales Echo

ROGER Johnson and his Cardiff City team-mates will be cursing missed opportunities if they fail to win their last four Coca-Cola Championship matches this season.

“I would hate to look back and think about points we let slip over the season,” said Johnson, pictured right.

The Bluebirds stand frustratingly outside the top six and those play-off places as they prepare for today's match at Scunthorpe United.

And defender Johnson, City’s player of the year, admits it will be an awful feeling if they miss out.

“We’ve put the FA Cup final out of our minds, we really have, and everybody is focused on these next four matches,” said Johnson.

“There is a genuine belief we can win all four and qualify for the play-offs. It will be a missed opportunity if we failed to finish in the top six.

“In my view, teams like Hull City and Bristol City have over-achieved a little bit. This season provided a big chance to finish in the top six and we can still do that.

“We still need other results to go our way, but that seems to be working out with Wolves losing against West Bromwich Albion this week.

“Now we need Crystal Palace and Ipswich to drop points. That would open the door for us. We have a chance and we have to concentrate on that.”

Johnson quickly rattled off matches in which the Bluebirds allowed points they seemed to have secured slip from their grasp.

“Sheffield United away stands out when we were 3-1 ahead and drew 3-3,” he said. “We conceded a last-minute goal at home to Preston North End in a 2-2 draw – and there those early defeats against Coventry City and Stoke City. We lost both 1-0 and missed penalties.

“Just picking out those matches shows we could have had eight points and finished with only two.”

If those missing six points had been earned, Cardiff City would currently be in sixth place with a game in hand on the teams around them. Instead, they are 11th and clinging on grimly to the hope they can close the gap.

“I always knew we would be in with a chance, but we really should be higher than we are,” said Johnson. “It’s an exciting run-in and we truly believe in ourselves.”

City follow today’s match at Scunthorpe with two more trips – a crucial clash with Wolves at Molineux next Tuesday and then a journey to Burnley’s Turf Moor on Saturday.

The Championship season will be completed by a home match against Barnsley on Sunday, May 4 (2pm).

Paul Parry (hamstring) and Robbie Fowler (hip) were the only players missing when Cardiff City’s squad left South Wales for an overnight stay near Scunthorpe yesterday.

Parry will be back in training next week, while Fowler is already working his way towards fitness.

Neither are likely to be ready at Wolves on Tuesday, but could come into contention for the trip to Burnley’s Turf Moor next Saturday.

Glenn Loovens and Joe Ledley are back and available after missing City’s 3-1 win against Blackpool.

terry.phillips@mediawales.co.uk