Wrexham v. City - FAW Premier Cup Preview

This time around?
By Chris O'Brien
March 24 2004

Lennie Lawrence looks set to name a near full-strength side as the Bluebirds take on North Walian rivals Wrexham in the semi-finals of the FAW Premier Cup. Victory for the visitors at the Racecourse could set us up for a potential final against arch-rivals Swansea City.

Cardiff City take on North Walian rivals Wrexham at the Racecourse on Wednesday night for the semi-finals of the FAW Premier Cup. A small band of away supporters, probably about 50, are expected to be there but the game is also bring screened live on BBC Wales, one of two consecutive matches the Bluebirds have live on television!

The Robins, also nicknamed 'Dragons', take the competition very seriously, with the trophy providing some welcome relief on a hard 6 years for Wrexham supporters, with the £100,000 also very beneficial to a club who have never have huge amounts of money to spend. The Second Division outfit have fielded their first-choice team in the trophy for almost every match they have played which is the reason behind their success, with four Premier Cup titles already being won by the North Welsh outfit. City have won the competition only once, beating arch-rivals Swansea City in the Ninian Park final of 2002.

Knowing a tough game will be awaiting his team against a Wrexham side who are still harbouring play-off ambitions, Lennie Lawrence is naming a strong side to make the journey. One notable change from recent league matches is that Neil Alexander will be named between the sticks, with the Scotsman desperate to prove a point. Alexander will be suffering from low morale after being dropped for Martyn Margetson following a poor performance during the 3-1 defeat against Dennis Wise's Millwall, and not being included in Bertie Vogts' latest Scotland squad will mean the former Livingston shot stopper will be desperate to prove a point.

After an impressive performance at the back against Crewe Alexandra, Welsh under-21 international James Collins will continue at the heart of the defence as he looks to prove a point to City boss Lennie Lawrence. Collins is expected to be partnered by either Tony Vidmar, who has played every City game this season other than the FAW Premier Cup quarter-final at Newport, or Spencer Prior. Gary Croft is at right back and Chris Barker on the left-hand side of the defence. Daniel Gabbidon is rested ahead of Saturday's league game against high-flying Sheffield United, and with a Welsh friendly coming up also this looks like bring a wise option.

Lee Bullock will make his third Cardiff City appearance since joining the club on-loan from York City. Gareth Whalley will get another chance to show he is worthy of a contract extension, with the midfielder set to start in the middle of the park. Richard Langley, who has come under scrutiny for some poor performances from many fans, will start on the right side of midfield and will be eager to build on a pleasing display at Gresty Road on Saturday. On the left wing will be Andy Campbell, who although prefers playing as a forward, will be another player eager to impress Lawrence with the England under-21 international linked with a move away from Ninian Park in the summer.

Paul Parry and Willie Boland are definitely ruled out of the match with injuries, and are both major doubts for the visit of the Blades to Ninian Park this Saturday. John Robinson has picked up a knock in training and is not fit enough to play in the Premier Cup, but should be fit for the First Division match this weekend.

Robert Earnshaw is being rested up front, and is not expected to travel with the squad. Alan Lee is likely to continue his run in the team and will partner out-of-favour Gavin Gordon. Target man Gordon, who has been labelled a lucky charm as City usually to win when he starts, has been linked with a move to Oxford United and with his contract ending at the end of the season he will be desperate to get on the scoresheet. Last seasons quarter-final win against TNS changed Gordon's season as the forward netted a brace. Stuart Fleetwood, who got City here with the winning goal in the quarter-final, will be on the bench.

Both Wrexham and Cardiff stumbled into the last four of the FAW Cup. The Bluebirds were very lucky to escape from Spytty Park with a 1-0 victory over local rivals Newport County, with Wrexham scraping past League of Wales favourites Total Network Solutions 2-0.

The tie must be decided on the night, with extra-time and penalties coming into play if required. The last time the two clubs met in the competition, the match was decided on penalties, with 'keeper Mark Walton the hero for City following a 1-1 draw. The winners will play either Welsh Premier leaders Rhyl or Swansea City in the final. A potential derby match with the Jacks is already been eyed up by Bluebird supporters!

We have been guilty of treating this competition very lightly in recent years. Many of our supporters snub the competition, and since the arrival of Sam Hamm am we have always fielded under-strength teams. Still, we've only won the cup once in its short history, and with debts of £21million, can we really afford to turn away the £100,000 that goes to the winners? It's not the greatest competition in the world, and doesn't come close to the magic the old Welsh Cup provided, but we may as well do it properly and try and win the trophy!

Bluebird to the Bone Prediction - Wrexham 0-1 Cardiff City
A bit optimistic, this one will be tough and could go all the way. Still, lots of players in the Cardiff team have points to prove, so hopefully if they can impress we should have enough to go through to the final.