Bottom Half Finish as Honours Even at Portman Road

Draw
By Rogero / Chris O'Brien
May 9 2004

In front of a near full house at Ipswich Town, Cardiff City played to their strengths and finished the season well with a point, which was well deserved. The result secured the hosts a play-off place, but confined the Bluebirds to a bottom-half finish.

The season is over and Cardiff City have finished in 13th place, level on points with Coventry who have a slightly superior goal difference following a 1-1 draw with Ipswich Town at Portman Road. The point the Bluebirds earned today, thanks to a Lee Bullock goal, ensured that everyone left Portman Road happy. For Ipswich the season continues with the play-offs and for Cardiff the holidays start and planning for 2004-2005 begins.

Bullock's header cancelled out Shefki Kuqi opener for the hosts on 26 minutes, with his long-range shot leaving Martyn Margetson with no chance. Ipswich looked nervous for much of the game and won't take a lot of confidence from this performance into the play-offs, but they have done well to qualify for the end-of-season lottery and will now face Alan Pardew's West Ham United over two legs for a place at the Millennium Stadium.

City are sure to be disappointed to finish in the bottom half of the table, after only being out of the play-off frame about a month ago, but it has to be put down as a respectable achievement for a side spending their first season at this level in almost 20 years. With the financial problems at the club, it is not clear whether the team will be any stronger this season, but the foundations are there and several players have enjoyed a good first season at this level.

The worst part of the game today was the dreadful orange shirt which hopefully will be confined to the bin. It was an excellent all round performance, and whilst the team could have been excused for simply turning up they proved, once again, that they do care and can perform with the high fliers!

Full Time - Ipswich Town 1-1 Cardiff City
Attendance - 28,703

Ipswich Town: Davis, Wilnis, McGreal, Elliott, Richards, Wright, Miller, Magilton (Reuser 57), Westlake, Kuqi (Naylor 57), Bent.
Subs Not Used: Price, Santos, Bowditch.

Cardiff City: Margetson, Croft, Gabbidon (Barker 90), Collins, Vidmar, Robinson (Parry 74), Boland, Bullock, Langley, Earnshaw, Lee.
Subs Not Used: Alexander, Gordon, Fleetwood.