Whits ends perfect week in style

Mar 23 2008 by Chris Wathan, Wales On Sunday

DO CARDIFF City fans want this week to end?

With an FA Cup semi-final to look forward to, the fear of administration at last allayed, and now a victory over Bristol City, it’s doubtful.

Having got the result they needed in the court case on Wednesday to really wet the lips for Wembley, goals from Roger Johnson and Peter Whittingham put the seal on a super seven days by putting their red-shirted rivals to the sword.

No mean feat either, considering that Gary Johnson’s side have occupied the Championship’s top spot for some while and are still very much in the hunt for automatic promotion.

And some City supporters – the ones who really wanted to rub the Robins’ noses in it – would have loved the way it was done too.

Not so much for the performance perhaps – Cardiff have played better – but by giving the visitors a glimmer of hope before cruelly snatching the points away again in a matter of moments.

Whether Dave Jones would have thought the same is another matter as Cardiff could have easily paid the price for switching off at the back yet again, allowing Dele Adebola to level before Whittingham’s eventual winner.

But they deserved the win and, if City’s good fortune carries on at this rate, then who can blame Dave Jones maintaining a play-off push isn’t out of the question?

The Bluebirds boss hasn’t given up on that front, even if the fans seemed more concerned about putting one over on Ninian Park hate figure and Liberty Stadium icon Lee Trundle rather than the points at stake.

Talk of Trundle had filled the ground, soon replaced by the chants which threatened to overshadow the actual game.

But the low-key start didn’t help focus things back to the action on the pitch.

Gary Johnson’s side have found themselves in the promotion hunt thanks in the main to a work ethic that gives opponents little chance to settle on the ball.

Not awesome, but certainly organised, the visitors didn’t look like causing too many problems in the danger area even if they seemed to have the greater of the play just around it.

But Cardiff should have struck first when Steve Thompson was played through on 19 minutes, Adriano Basso showing why he’s an Ashton Gate favourite with a strong arm to deny the shot, Bradley Orr clearing as the ball hung around the open goal.

So Cardiff had to go back to biding their time, thanking their luck when Orr’s free-kick evaded everyone and bounced off the post on 31 minutes.

But their patience and persistence paid off a minute from the interval when Whittingham floated another free kick into the back post and, after an earlier miss, this time Johnson made his arrival count when he powered a header home.

Cardiff were happy to stay on the front foot as the second half started, Joe Ledley doing well when he improvised to meet a bouncing ball in the Bristol box on 51 minutes, his clipped volley going just over.

Workaholic Gavin Rae could have helped make things safe just five minutes later, intercepting a loose midfield ball and racing through, but if his pass to Whittingham was a little off, the return from the wide man was much worse and the chance went.

But, just as the game began to close up, it sparked into life as Bristol City grabbed a leveller out of thin air, Cardiff collectively going to sleep and allowing a Jamie McAllister free kick delivery to sail over their heads and to be met by Adebola on 73 minutes.

Amazingly, they almost let the same thing happen a minute later. Another McAllister cross was simply watched rather than cleared, and only the linesman’s flag stopped sub Steve Brooker celebrating a goal, Bristol boss Johnson being sent to the stand.

But moments later Cardiff reclaimed the lead as Marvin Eliott tripped Steve McPhail in the area, Whittingham blasting home the rebound after Basso had saved the initial shot wonderfully.

As Bristol City’s supporters let their frustrations boil over into ugly clashes with police in the away end, the game was still all to play for.

And Basso kept the Robins in it with five minutes to go, saving brilliantly from a Thompson header after Joe Ledley crossed from an Aaron Ramsey pass. Yet both the points and the day were Cardiff’s – all in all, one heck of a week.