My top City games of the millennium: 6-4

[Eric the Half a Bee]

6.
Date: 21 Dec 2019
Match: Cardiff City 0-0 Preston NE

Just joking.

We're getting into tougher territory now. I've looked at this several times and have changed my mind most of the time! I also notice I had missed one important fixture out, so there's a double award.

6.
Date: 26 January 2010
Match: Bristol City 0-6 Cardiff City

This match cries to be higher in the list, but it's due to some heavyweight clashes that this only makes 6th place.

Background. We'd missed out on the playoffs in 4 successive seasons, though made an FA cup final. We had a talented squad, great attacking talent, but a soft underbelly that caused inconsistency that undermined our promotion bids. Sometimes our attacking play was a delight to watch and would have worked in the Premier League.

We had a disappointing Christmas period, drawing 4-4 at Peterborough from a 4-0 half time lead being one down point, plus the traditional Boxing day defeat at home to Plymouth. In true Dave Jones style, it was either feast or famine and we were in a run of 3 points from 4 winless games. Thankfully there was the distraction of the FA cup. We were due to go to Bristol City on Tue 2 Jan but the pitch was partially frozen, so we had to let it go.

The fixture was rearranged for a week Tuesday, when it snowed. I was working in Cardiff and had to finish early to get the bus home. Mrs Half a Bee was on a bus a little further back as traffic crawled up the A470. I waited for her in the Maltsters in Pontypridd, where the game was live. I managed to see it before she got to Ponty. In poor conditions, Bluebird fan Gavin Williams levelled for the Ciderites. We won a scrappy replay a week later, before despatching Leicester in Round 4 with 3 late goals rescuing a 4-2 win.

Bristol City would climb to within a point of us with a win. They were unbeaten in 14 games against us at Trashton Gate. That was as close as it got. Whittingham scored a tap in on 19 minutes. McCormack followed in a Gavin Rae mishit for the second 4 minutes later. Chopra added a third within 60 seconds. An own goal made it 4 before half time.

With the Peterborough debarcle still echoing, there was still the potential for this to go tits up. Any thoughts of this disappeared as Bothroyd put Chopra through for the fifth while fans were still making their way back from half time. Some home fans had long gone. McCormack scored a belter to make it 6 and there was still over half an hour to go. Sadly, dreams of netting 7, 8, even 10 didn't come to fruition. This was one of our greatest ever away wins.

We finally made the playoffs that season. Don't mention Blackpool.

wurzel.jpg

5.
Date: 6 April 2008
Match: Cardiff City 1-0 Barnsley

This is exciting, isn't it? We're in an FA cup semi final. More than that we've got a chance of winning this, maybe even the cup itself. I was up at 5 am making sausage and egg muffins for 4. Me, Mrs Half a Bee, her father and brother, all driving to some station outside of London. We stopped off in Reading services for a cuppa and a snowball fight. Friends supplied us with special bottled water when we met them in Paddington that was, er, not water.

There were loads of City fans around Trafalgar square. This was a day to be savoured, unlike the dodgy minted lamb burger in Wetherspoon close by. I think the special water had neutralised any problems.

We got to the ground. Wow. This is a once in a lifetime for a club like us. Wembley way, I walked past Rob Phillips. The walk up to the stadium was such a proud moment, even though it was so cold. Inside the ground, icicles fell down on the pitch below.

As for the game, not much to write about. Ledley scores a stunner after Barnsley fail to clear a Tony Capaldi long throw (that's one challenge done, I had to include Tony Capaldi in one of my write-ups). Odejayi, Barnsley hero in a previous round, misses with only Enckelman to beat. Time ticked on, Michael Parkinson looked more worried than he did when Rod Hull turned up. We held on.

Party time? Sadly not as we had to head home. Getting out of Wembley was a pain, but it didn't seem to matter after we'd won. It was horrendous after we lost our 2 finals.

4.
Dates: 24 January 2012 & 26 Feb 2012
Matches: Cardiff City 1-0 Crystal Palace / Cardiff City 2-2 Liverpool

In order to accommodate the Bristol City playoff fixture (one that slipped through the net), I have paired these up.

In 2011/12 we went on another cup run. This time we had 4 successive home draws, beating Huddersfield, Leicester, Burnley and Blackburn en route. I had to look these up. Our FA cup opponents from 4 years previous are etched on my brain. What else did I learn? Danny Ward scored against us for Huddersfield. Don Cowie was our top scorer in the league cup that season.

We lost the first leg 1-0 at Selhurst Park. How we lost was a mystery. Miller had a dubious goal disallowed. We had several reasonable chances. This was a Palace side who liked to keep things tight, but deserved respect for winning at Old Trafford in the previous round.

Early moments of the second leg. Don Cowie blasts a cross in which Anthony Gardner, scorer in the first leg, could do nothing with other than find his own net. So the match continued. Woodwork was hit several times. We showed Dougie Freedman that we weren't f*cking scared. As a contest, it should never have made penalties. We demonstrated why we had spent most of the season challenging towards the top 2. This side didn't have the flair of Dave Jones's teams, but had a work ethic and scored goals throughout the team. This was one of my favourite seasons of watching the club. The following season saw us go more defensive and the less said about us in the Prem the better, but this first season under Mackay we were a great side to watch.

Penalties. Jonathan Parr, formerly of my favourite Norwegian side Aalesund FK, blazes wide. We have another final. The Cardiff City stadium is getting used to these big events!

I chose not to go to Wembley. I had been 3 times before, work was tight and I couldn't afford the whole thing. Thankfully it was live on BBC 1, even if that meant putting up with Guy Mowbray. I didn't fancy our chances, even though this was one of the worst Liverpool sides in years.

We rode our luck early on, then some static Liverpool defending saw Kenny Miller slide Joe Mason through. Mason slides it between Reina's legs. Christ! This wasn't in the script! Half time comes and we're still ahead.

Liverpool level on the hour when Skrtel gets lucky in the box. Minutes to go. Kenny Miller goes through. Only Reina to beat. He finds the roof of the stand from point black range. Awful miss.

Kuyt gives Liverpool the lead. Only a few minutes to go but this isn't over yet. We force our first corner of the game. Whitts bombs one straight under Reina's nostrils, Liverpool all at sea. One more. Another left-footed in-swinger. Liverpool don't deal with it again. Ball is loose and Reina is nowhere. Turner, it's yours, you can get to it first. He has. YYYYYYYYYEEEEEEEEEESSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS! Turner takes his top off and waves it around his head. I take my City shirt off and run up and down the street topless.

Penalties. I didn't care. After the limp FA cup final display 4 years before, this was a heroic Cardiff City performance that, win or lose, every Cardiff fan would be proud of. We were ahead on penalties at one point, dare anyone whisper "we're going to win this"? Sadly, it didn't happen, but what a match, one I relive regularly.

[delmbox]

These are wonderful but combining matches is BLATANT cheating

[Der Kaiser]

That Liverpool game is the best city game I've ever been too in my 20 years, never left a game prouder to support them. I don't think I've ever seen City fans celebrate like that, nor will I ever again. Madness.