An inspired Andy Campbell changed the game as
substitute, as the Bluebirds put two consecutive defeats behind them with
a 2-0 victory over relegation-threatened Burnley. The play-off hero took
his chance by winning the penalty that broke the deadlock, and then
superbly slotting home the winning goal minutes later.
It was thought Lennie Lawrence would make some
changes to the line-up that lost 3-0 to Wigan Athletic during mid-week,
but City fielded the same XI that was outplayed in Lancashire. One
noticeable absentee from the match-day squad however was Neil Alexander as
substitute 'keeper, with Arran Lee-Barrett in reserve for Martyn
Margetson. Whether anything can be read into this, I don't know, but
rumours are circulating that the Scotsman will leave the club at the end
of the season after being dropped in December.
Burnley started the better of the two sides with
Robbie Blake a constant threat. Not only did he look lively in front of
goal, but also passed the ball around well and even took the Burnley
corners! Luke Chadwick also looked lively on the right flank, but they
couldn't turn early pressure into clear cut chances, with Blake's long
range effort which flashed over the bar the only Clarets opportunity of
note in the early exchanges.
At the other end, Burnley 'keeper Neil Jensen was
booked after handling outside the area, sparking obvious controversy that
the card should have been red. Robert Earnshaw fired a shot wide on the
half-hour, and Richard Langley forced Jensen into a save before half-time,
but the game was rather flat and the below-par crowd at Ninian Park was
hardly exhilarated! Neither side had the extra edge needed to find the
opening goal in the first-half, with the Lee and Earnshaw not working
again.
The half-time children's football provided greater
entertainment that the opening half, and to be fair it was a cracking
game! The greens edged out a 3-1 thriller, which perked up the crowd, and
hopefully the scouts were watching as some of the kids on show possessed a
lot of quality!
You'd imagine that Lennie Lawrence's team-talks at
half-time are not the most influential 15 minutes in football, but City
certainly seemed a different team as the second period got under way,
showing more urgency as they attacked in numbers. John Robinson forced
Jensen into a diving save, with Earnshaw and Lee also squandering chances.
The home win started to look the more likely result as the pressure was
piled on the Clarets backline.
However, despite City's improvements the game still
wasn't much of a spectacle, until Lennie Lawrence introduced out-of-favour
striker Andy Campbell replacing the ineffective Robert Earnshaw, with many
fans claiming he has already been sold to a London club for a fee in the
region of £4million. The former England Under-21 international, who scored
for the reserves during mid-week, was fouled in the box by Mark McGregor
after latching onto the cross of another substitute, Paul Parry. Referee
Michael Jones of Cheshire showed no hesitation in awarding the penalty,
which could be the difference between his fellow Lancastrians staying in
the division this season.
Langley made no mistake from the penalty spot,
sending the Burnley 'keeper the wrong way to score the clubs first goal in
almost six hours. His signal to Lennie Lawrence on the substitutes bench
indicated that the former QPR playmaker wants permanent spot-kick duties,
and judging recent penalties misses from Graham Kavanagh and Robert
Earnshaw, why not?
The goal really deflated Burnley, who had seemed
happy to play-out for a point before the penalty was awarded. The Clarets
won a corner almost immediately after kick-off, but the City defence had
started closely marking Burnley forward Robert Blake, who had looked their
sole threat for most of the game. It is no wonder why Blake is near the
top of the First Division scorers list, but his all-round play was also
very impressive, particularly in the first-half when the Bluebirds defence
were not picking him up.
Within three minutes, the home win was secured with
Andy Campbell getting the winning goal. Great work from John Robinson saw
the Welsh international play a beautiful through ball to Campbell, who
finished superbly with a low, hard drive into the back of the net. The
majority of the 13,525 in attendance celebrated, and Campbell's
celebration indicated exactly what the strike meant to him. He deserves to
start against Preston at Deepdale next weekend.
Burnley mustered something of a late rally, but
their efforts amounted to nothing for their 500-odd travelling fans to
celebrate. The defeat sees Burnley drop to 21st in the table, with
Gillingham breathing down their necks. Only a win at home to an improving
Wimbledon on Tuesday will do for Stan Ternent's side, with the Lancashire
outfit in serious danger of getting relegated to the Second Division.
Overall, a very pleasing day for City. Andy
Campbell made a huge difference when introduced, and although he missed a
chance in the closing seconds, he deserves a chance ahead to build on his
performance in the closing minutes. Paul Parry also did well when he came
on, with Willie Boland and sponsors man of the match John Robinson
particularly effective in the midfield. Cardiff remain in 11th, 5 points
off the play-offs, but with sides harbouring games in hand it is likely to
become a mathematically impossible task to finish in the top 6 by next
weekend!
Full Time - Cardiff City 2-0
Burnley
Attendance - 13,535
Cardiff City: Margetson, Vidmar, Gabbidon,
Collins, Croft, Langley, Boland, Whalley, Robinson, Lee, Earnshaw. Subs:
Campbell, Barker, Parry, Lee-Barrett, Bullock.
Burnley FC: Jensen, Roche, May, Branch,
McGregor, Camara, Little, Grant, Chadwick, Chaplow, Blake. Subs: Adebola,
Alan Moore, Johnrose, Abbey, Pilkington.
