The Bluebirds Too Strong For Town

Manager Mick McCarthy did what most of us expected him to do and including Cole Skuse and Darly Murphy in his team, at the expense of Jonathan Douglas and Brett Pitman who were on the bench.

Kevin Foley missed out completely due to bruised ribs but this gave a chance for local lad Luke Hyam to get back into the side.

Cardiff were without first-choice keeper David Marshall, after he went down with a virus and this gave understudy Simon Moore the chance to make a rare appearance for The Bluebirds.

Michael Crowe started on the bench for Town, as reserve keeper Dean Gerken became the latest championship virus victim.

Town started brightly and had an early chance when Freddie Sears perhaps should have done better with a strike from around 20 yards that Cardiff keeper Moore managed only to parry but thankfully for the home side, into the path of a Cardiff defender.

Darly Murphy also came close with a header that was blocked but then on 18 minutes Cardiff City took the lead against the run of play. Bruno Ecuele Manga
headed in strongly from the centre of the box and into the bottom left corner of the net. As one might expect, the assist came Peter Whittingham with an accurate cross following a Cardiff corner.

This was hard luck on the Tractor Boys who had started well and were prior to the goal, largely dominating possession but goals win games and this match was always destined to be a tough one for the away side in Wales.

Strangely perhaps, Town were playing a lot better than when they were when leading against Bolton Wanderers in midweek but getting that first goal meant that the noise level would inevitably rise at the Cardiff City Stadium and so it was to prove.

Half Time Cardiff City 1 Ipswich Town 0

At the start of the second half super-sub Brett Pitman came on for Kevin Bru and it was Town again who were dominating possession but largely failing to make any serious inroads into the Cardiff box.

After 55 minutes Ben Pringle had left footed shot from the left side of the penalty area that went close but sadly misses the top left corner and it was Brett Pitman who created it, with a great through-ball but chances for the blues were few and far between.

On 72 minutes Ben Pringle came off and was replaced by Luke Varney as manager Mick McCarthy looked for more attacking options as the clock ticked down and with just a few minutes to spare, he replaced defender Tommy Smith for Ainsley Maitland-Niles, in a last gasp attempt to salvage a point from Wales.

There were half-chances for both sides in the second half but Cardiff deservedly held on for a comfortable victory and although the Town gave it there all, the chances they created were minimal and the result was to be expected.

Now the blues have to brush themselves down and look to Tuesday night at Portman Road when they entertain Blackburn Rovers.

Ipswich Town are now four points off Sheffield Wednesday in sixth so anything less that a victory against the Lancastrians will surely end any hopes of a play-off place.


Cardiff City: Moore, Peltier, Connolly, Manga, Malone, Noone, O`Keefe, Ralls, Whittingham, Pilkington (c), Immers.

Subs: Wilson, Morrison, Dikgacoi, Ameobi, Zahore, Gunnarsson, Lawrence.

Ipswich Town: Bialkowski, Chambers (c), Smith, Berra, Knudsen, Skuse, Hyam, Bru, Pringle, Sears, Murphy.

Subs: Crowe, Digby, Tabb, Douglas, Maitland-Niles, Varney, Pitman.

Referee: Andrew Madley from West Yorkshire.

Attendance : 15,175


Frank Weston – editor of Vital Ipswich