Originally Posted by
The Lone Gunman
I was indeed at Saturday's game. As mentioned by Insider, I was with Mark's wife Irene. Since his death in mid-January, our friend Mike has been accompanying Irene to home matches, but he was away last weekend so I joined her instead.
It was a terrific game which could have ended up any score. Fulham were much the superior side in technical terms and had most of the possession, but their defence looked distinctly lightweight throughout. City, meanwhile, worked extremely hard all over the field and were a threat every time they got forward. It made for some great entertainment.
Two big mysteries: firstly, why isn't Fulham's Tom Cairney playing in the Premier League? To me, he looked the best player on the field by a distance and seems to have everything a top-flight midfielder needs. I'll be surprised if he's still at Fulham next season. Secondly, what on earth has happened to Kenneth Zahore? When I watched him play against Bristol Rovers in a televised cup game earlier in the season, it looked like City were short of numbers and fielding their groundsman. He appeared pretty much hopeless against Burton in January too, but seemed a different player altogether on Saturday. Fulham's defence couldn't handle him at all. Not only was he an imposing physical presence, but his touch on the ball and hold-up play was also very good. He's obviously undergone quite a transformation in recent weeks.
Saturday was in fact my fourth Cardiff game this season. I went away with my mates to Fulham in August and sat in the neutral section of the Putney End Stand. The first half was a tedious affair but the second was reasonably entertaining. I also travelled up to Burton with the lads in October. The less said about that rubbish the better. Following Mark's death in January, I was asked to write a eulogy for the programme for the Burton home game and to supply the photos for the stadium's big screen tributes. On the day, I was among Irene's guests up on level four of the Grandstand (she was given a batch of tickets for friends and family by the club, whose staff did a great job). The first half was genuinely one of the most boring exhibitions of football I've ever seen, so I stayed in the bar for the second.
I'm likely to be accompanying Irene at another game or two before the season has finished but I won't be buying myself a ticket any time soon. Vincent Tan would have to depart in order for that to happen. It's been great to catch up with so many old friends at the matches I have attended and Saturday's game was a cracker, but it's likely to be a long time before I'm anything like a regular again.