Cardiff 0-1 Wolves
This has never been a journey that I’ve looked forward to over the years for a number of reasons. Having to use official travel coaches to go to a services, where police would then hand over the match tickets and escort you in was a particular lowlight.
Having coins thrown over the mesh divide on the old terrace at Ninian Park and being kept in for over an hour on the adjacent car park 2 years ago after another Welsh disaster.
No, this game wasn’t one that I was looking forward to. How wrong I was.
After enjoying two wins in a row and for large parts of those games being in total control, surely things couldn’t continue to go as well; this is Wolves after all.
But as in the game against Fulham on Tuesday, Wolves were never really in any danger apart from a few moments of madness.
Kuszczak came for a cross in the 2nd half that he completely messed up, getting nowhere near the ball. This resulting in legs being outstretched and the ball hitting the base of the post before finally being cleared.
Again with almost the final passage of play, he got nowhere near the ball and if it hadn’t been for Stearman clearing off the line, it would have been 2 points dropped.
But apart from looking dangerous from set pieces, all the shots Cardiff had were comfortably dealt with throughout the game.
It was Wolves who always looked the most dangerous though and when Sako scored the games only goal after 26 minutes it looked like it was going to be a continuation of that impressive recent form.
Afobe ran from the half way line beating two Cardiff defenders on the way. The ball was laid off to Van La Parra who’s low cross was deflected into the path of Sako who stroked the ball into the bottom left hand corner of the net.
Afobe himself managed to miss a sitter by his standards in the 2nd half, when Gunnarsson passed the ball back to the keeper. There was nowhere near enough power on it and the ball fell to the former Arsenal man with just the keeper to beat. Instead of slotting it either side of him of through the legs, he opted for power and it was a comfortable save in the end.
As is usual in games against Cardiff though, the game wasn’t without incident. Dominic Iorfa was lucky to stay on the pitch after two silly challenges only warranting a single yellow card.
Maybe this is why the usually composed Peter Whittingham got himself so worked up, he got himself sent off. There is no rational explanation as to why a player would launch themselves at a fellow professional near the touchline nowhere near any kind of danger with such force and malice.
It was one of the worst challenges I’ve seen live in a long time, and Doherty is lucky to have escaped any injury.
Far from them sitting back and trying to snatch something on the break, it was Cardiff who seemed like they had the extra man. They must have had 70% possession in the final 25 minutes of that game, yet as i mentioned earlier, they never really looked like doing anything with it.
Apart from his two mistakes, Kuszczak handled everything else superbly and when he couldn’t come for the ball, Batth and Stearman were colossus’ in the centre of defence.
It was a very well deserved 3 points and as with the Fulham game, there was always a feeling there was more in the tank if it was needed.
(Image via Birminghammail.co.uk)
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