Team News PNE Manager Alex Neil will wait to see if midfielder Ryan Ledson, Irish striker Sean Maguire and Welsh international Billy Bodin are fit to return to the squad, having missed the midweek game against Watford. Long-term injuries continue to keep out goalkeeper Declan Rudd, German central defender Patrick Bauer and striker Louis Moult. Cardiff City Jonny Williams could make his Cardiff City debut this weekend, having recovered from a training-ground injury he sustained just days after arriving on deadline day. The playmaker, along with Liverpool loanee Sheyi Ojo, is ready to return, as Mick McCarthy explained: "Jonny Williams trained, Sheyi Ojo trained, they’ll be okay. But while Williams and Ojo look likely to return to the fold this weekend, it wasn't all good news for the former Republic of Ireland boss. Joe Ralls will miss out once again with his ankle problem and Junior Hoilett is still unavailable due to a calf issue. Meanwhile, talismanic striker Kieffer Moore and in-form winger Josh Murphy are also doubtful for the weekend after suffering knocks in the midweek win over Luton Town. Match Officials Taking charge of Saturday’s match official is experienced Championship referee Jeremy Simpson, making his first trip to the Cardiff City Stadium this season, having officiated both teams once this campaign, both on the road, at Luton Town and Coventry City respectively. Jeremy was also the man in the middle for PNE’s trip to Barnsley late in the first month of this year, having also been the official at Cardiff City just before last Christmas – last year’s playing of this same game - and our penultimate home game of 2019/20, against Nottingham Forest in July. This will be his 21st match of the season, having so far issued a total of 63 cautions and four red cards. He will be assisted by Richard Wild and Graham Kane, while the fourth official will be Brett Huxtable.
This will be a tougher game than usual. Mick McCarthy has given fresh impetus to the Bluebirds. AN thinks that though they are riding high, NE pull off their best performances against high fliers away from D'dale. Brentford 2 NE 4 is one example. Unfortunately, NE's forwards have a couple of players fit but not on their game. Personally, I think NE will be extremely lucky to come away with 1 point.
Opposition please log in to view this image New manager Big Mick has turned them around in no time since being brought to replace Neil Harris, they are beating all in site at the moment, useful squad, Harry Wilson on loan from the Dippers, they paid big money for Moore, seem to also have turned into a mini Bristol City, Flint and Pack but personal view have always rated Morrison at the back fearsome player rarely cocks up. As with Mick's side will be aerial and some big lads in the side that beat Luton last time out LUTON 0 CARDIFF 2 please log in to view this image Venue please log in to view this image Miles away from Ninian Park in appearence a ground were fans never meet te opposition which takes away some of the fiesty atmosphere we encountered at the old ground, decent seats and always good to see a later Tommy Clarke winner just to piss Colin off The Cardiff City Stadium (Welsh: Stadiwm Dinas Caerdydd) is a stadium in the Leckwith area of Cardiff, Wales. It is the home of Cardiff City Football Club and the Wales national football team. Following expansion of the Ninian Stand in July 2014, the stadium officially holds 33,280 supporters. The stadium replaced Ninian Park as Cardiff City's home ground in 2009, and is managed by Cardiff City Stadium Ltd., which is owned by Cardiff City Football Club Holdings Ltd. It also hosted the home matches of the Cardiff Blues rugby union team until the 2011–12 season, although originally the Blues had a lease until 2029.[2][3][4][5][6] After the Millennium Stadium, it is the second largest stadium in Cardiff and in Wales. The stadium is part of the Leckwith development, which also includes the Cardiff International Sports Stadium. A branded sponsor name will be assigned as and when the naming rights are sold. The stadium was officially opened on 22 July 2009, with Cardiff City playing a friendly match against Celtic.[7][8] We drew there last season 0-0 the season before we won 1-0 with aforementioned Tommy Clarke cha winner please log in to view this image This brought a lot of fun on Twitter with Sol Bamba's wife however let's hope the aforementioned Bamba is hopefully recovering from his serious illness. US please log in to view this image 4 Home wins 8 away wins this season barely score a goal at the moment at home apparently we are changing tactics slightly tomorrow we will play 3 52 to match up the Bluebirds worked last away match at Deadwood might work tomorrow there again may not probably the latter FORM GUIDE CITY 19 PNE 6 FAMOUS CARDIFF PERSON Bernice Rubens (26 July 1923 – 13 October 2004)[1] was a Booker Prize-winning Welsh novelist.[2] Bernice Ruth Reuben was born in Splott, Cardiff on 26 July 1923, the third of four children of Eli Reuben and his wife Dorothy, née Cohen. [1] Her father was a Lithuanian Jew who, at the age of 16, left mainland Europe in 1900 in the hope of starting a new life in New York City. Due to being swindled by a ticket tout, he never reached America, his passage taking him no further than Cardiff.[2] He decided to stay in Wales, and there he met and married Dorothy Cohen, whose Polish family had also emigrated to Cardiff. Bernice was one of four children and came from a musical family, both her brothers, Harold and Cyril, becoming well-known classical musicians. Harold was forced to quit playing through illness, but Cyril became a violinist in the London Symphony Orchestra.[2] Bernice failed to follow in her family's musical tradition, though she would later learn the cello. She was educated at Cardiff High School for Girls and later read English at the University of Wales, Cardiff, where she was awarded her BA in 1947.[3] She married Rudi Nassbauer, a wine merchant who also wrote poetry and fiction.[2] They had two daughters, Rebecca and Sharon. From 1950 to 1955, Rubens taught at a grammar school in Birmingham, before moving onto the film industry where she made documentaries. In the 1960s the poet Jon Silkin rented the attic storey of their London house and sublet rooms to David Mercer, later a prolific West End and TV playwright, and Malcolm Ross-Macdonald, later an equally prolific writer of historical novels. Bernice won't be at the game as she's dead also more the fact iy's again behind closed doors
Good afternoon all. Excellent thread as always We're seeing the game as a major test for us given your away form this season. I think an interesting afternoon awaits.
Cardiff City 4 Preston North End 0 please log in to view this image A goal in the first couple of minutes of either half, put Mick McCarthy’s Bluebirds on the road to the points at the Cardiff City Stadium. A penalty in the first minute of the match, converted by Kieffer Moore and then a low shot from Josh Murphy in the first 30 seconds of the second period put the home side 2-0 up. A double penalty in the space of two minutes gave North End the chance to get back in the game, but home goalkeeper Dillon Phillips saved from both substitute Paul Gallagher and Ched Evans in an astonishing couple of minutes just after the hour mark, but within minutes of it possibly going 2-1 Marlon Pack scored from close range to tie up the win for the Welsh side. They added a fourth through substitute Mark Harris, just seconds after coming on as the earlier double stop by Phillips proved decisive. The Lilywhites reverted to the 3-5-2 formation that was successful at Blackburn Rovers eight days previously, with Greg Cunningham – against his former club – and Emil Riis coming into the starting line-up. But within a minute they were facing a penalty. Referee Jeremy Simpson pointed to the spot after a long throw in by Will Vaulks from the left – he adjudged there was a foul on home skipper Sean Morrison, but no-one, not even the Bluebirds players seemed to appeal. Welsh international Moore stepped up and fired into the top right-hand corner, the third game in a row Daniel Iversen had ended up facing a spot kick. The ’keeper was called upon shortly after to make a fine stop, denying Morrison this time, after his header from Harry Wilson’s free kick in left-hand channel 40 yards out found the head of his captain 12 yards out. North End began to get a foothold in the game though and as the half went on they had more and more possession, the best chance coming after a good period of play, working the ball well with Cunningham crossing from the left and Ched Evans meeting it with a header under pressure from Curtis Nelson, but the effort was straight at Phillips, who grabbed it. A change at the interval saw Tom Barkhuizen replace Riis in attack for Alex Neil’s men in the green third kit. But within 25 seconds of the second half getting underway they were 2-0 behind. The ball was turned over in the opposition’s half and Harry Wilson raced down the right-hand side and then fed it across to opposite side forward Murphy on the left, who drove towards the box and slid the ball past Iversen into the bottom right-hand corner from 15 yards. With 58 minutes on the clock a Ben Whiteman corner from the right, conceded by Joe Bennett, was met deep by Alan Browne, heading towards the top left corner of the goal until Phillips tipped it over the bar. A double-change saw Anthony Gordon and Gallagher brought on, on the hour mark, with the Everton loanee joining Evans in attack, Alan Browne going into the midfield, with Barkhuizen at right wing back. And North End had a penalty of their own on 64 minutes, as Molumby sent Gordon into the box and Harry Wilson, the Liverpool loanee, brought down the Everton man. What followed was quite amazing. Gallagher went up and took it, Dillon Phillips dived to his right and saved it, but as Gallagher went to follow in, Aden Flint put in a horrific challenge that should have been a red card, but ended as a yellow and a second penalty! This time Ched Evans stepped up to take it, but again Dillon Phillips saved it, this time down to his left and the home side were able to get it clear. And PNE were punished in the 71st minute as Pack headed home after substitute Sheyi Ojo crossed from the right, Iversen made a fine stop to deny a diving header from Moore, but Pack followed in to head home from inside the six-yard box. Another change, Brad Potts had a chance to give the visitors hope after an excellent run by Gordon, who drove to the byline and then drilled a shot just over the bar. It was 4-0 with 13 minutes left when a loose ball was picked up by Harris, who had been on the pitch for a matter of seconds, he rounded Iversen and fired into the empty net. Phillips was again the man of the moment with five minutes left, this time standing up strongly to make a fine stop to deny Barkhuizen, after an excellent defence-splitting ball from Gordon had sent him away into the right side of the penalty area and that proved the last chance of the game. Cardiff City line-up: Phillips, Bennett, Morrison (c), Flint, Vaulks, Moore (Harris, 77), Murphy (Ojo, 60), Nelson, Pack, Wilson (Bacuna, 69), NG. Subs not used: Smithies, Williams, Watters, Sang, Brown, Bagan. PNE line-up: Iversen, Storey, Lindsay, Hughes, Browne (c) (Rafferty, 82), Whiteman (Gallagher, 61), Molumby (Potts, 72), Cunningham, Johnson (Gordon, 61), Evans, Riis (Barkhuizen, 46). Subs not used: Ripley, van den Berg, Huntington, Sinclair. Referee: Mr J Simpson
Cardiff manager Mick McCarthy: "I'm delighted. Any win is a good win but 4-0 is better still, very pleasing. "When I came in I looked at the squad and thought we could get a good team together, that we could get a tune out of these guys. "I think it would have been beyond my wildest dreams or expectations to draw the first two and win the next five. You always hope to do it and plan to do it. "But I said to the lads, it's not me and TC [Terry Connor, assistant manager] that's the silver bullet here, it's them. They've done all the hard work, the grafting, and credit to the players." Preston manager Alex Neill: "The game finished 4-0 but it didn't feel like a 4-0, not in a million years. I've been involved in them where one team is very dominant, but we caused our own problems. "If you make those mistakes at this level, then you won't give yourself an opportunity to get anything from the game. "It's a harsh lesson and a sore one to take, but we've only got ourselves to blame."
The NE defence was poor which was strange considering their performance recently. Thankfully, there are worse teams. Need to restore confidence against QPR on Wednesday night.
