' Numerous Match Reports on Fulham v Cardiff City '

Cardiff City salvage 1-1 draw at Fulham as Kenwyne Jones continues fine scoring form
By Terry Phillips

30 Aug 2014


Jones' fourth goal in five matches earned a share of the spoils for the Bluebirds who were off the pace in the opening 45 minutes




Kenwyne Jones continued his impressive start to the season as he salvaged a draw for Cardiff City at struggling Fulham.

Jones' fourth goal in five matches earned a share of the spoils for the Bluebirds who were off the pace in the opening 45 minutes.

In fairness, Ole Gunnar Solskjaer's side were much improved after half-time and just about deserved the point that meant they avoided back-to-back defeats following last weekend's loss to Wolves.

Scott Parker dominated midfield for Fulham and played a significant role in the build-up to their first half goal that had Cardiff fans fearing the worst.

Ross McCormack's corner was headed away, but Parker fired a first-time pass back out to the former Cardiff man. McCormack darted inside, curled in an inswinger and Tim Hoogland gained half a yard on Sean Morrison to guide his header into the far former from 15 yards.

Fulham started the match lying bottom of the Championship, but they dominated before the break against a Cardiff team that seemed strangely subdued.

Action Images / Steven PastonKenwyne Jones celebrates with team mates after scoring the first goal for Cardiff City
Cardiff came out hard in the second half and City man of the match Mats Daehli set up the equaliser with a peach of a pass which opened up Fulham's defence to find Jones in space. The big striker fired home low from 15 yards for City's equaliser after 56 minutes.

It was a far more even second-half, with Cardiff growing stronger into the final quarter. Daehli was the creative outlet for the Bluebirds throughout before he was replaced by Magnus Eikrem with eight minutes left.

Kagisho Dikgacoi made his City League debut, but struggled to make an impact, while Federico Macheda went on during the second half for his first Championship appearance.

Cardiff City: D Marshall (capt), J Brayford, M Connolly, S Morrison, Fabio; A Pilkington, K Dikgacoi (J Ralls 59), P Whittingham, M Daehli (M Eikrem 82), K Jones, A Le Fondre (F Macheda 72).

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CARDIFF CITY FC

Bluebirds end August with a point in West London


Cardiff City shared the spoils at Craven Cottage on Saturday, drawing 1-1 against Fulham.

The hosts dominated the first 45 minutes and were deservedly ahead at the break when Tim Hoogland glanced home Ross McCormack’s dangerous cross.

City levelled after 55 minutes as Kenwyne Jones slotted in his fourth of the season following some good work fromMats Møller Dæhli. Neither side were able to find a winner in an end-to-end final half hour though, as Cardiff returned to South Wales with a hard earned point.

Chronological Report

Ole Gunnar Solskjær made ten changes from the side that safely secured City’s passage into the third round of the Capital One Cup on Tuesday with midfielder Kagisho Dikgacoi maintaining his position and starting his first Sky Bet Championship match for Cardiff City. Federico Macheda took up a spot on the bench for this match following his debut double in midweek. The hosts picked up their first win of the season at Brentford in the League Cup on Tuesday.

Home captain Scott Parker had the first real shot at goal in this match after three minutes. The swashbuckling midfielder drove forward with the ball before trying his luck with a right footed strike from twenty-yards that drifted just wide of David Marshall’s right hand post. Former Bluebirds striker Ross McCormack was next to attempt to test his fellow Scotland International Marshall but the forward failed to hit the target with a curling effort from just inside the penalty area.

A lively start to the match saw both teams threaten in the opening 15 minutes. Fulham fullback Konstantinos Stafylidis showed a calm head when threatened by Anthony Pilkington’s through ball, clearing under pressure from imposing City forward Kenwyne Jones.

Felix Magath’s side continued to look dangerous and they took the lead in this match after 22 minutes. The City defence initially charged Ross McCormack’s corner down with Scott Parker immediately finding the former City forward again. McCormack’s second cross found defender Tim Hoogland who glanced his header past Marshall to give the home team a one goal advantage.

GOAL: FULHAM 1-0 CARDIFF CITY (Hoogland, 22 minutes)

The Cottagers continued to threat, and almost scored an incredible second goal after 27 minutes. Ross McCormack’s set pieces were continuing to cause problems, with the forward almost hitting the back of the net with a corner kick, Cardiff keeper Marshall pushing the ball to safety much to the relief of the watching 3,000 Bluebirds fans.

Cardiff top-scorer Kenwyne Jones had his first sight of goal after 45 minutes, but the Trinidad and Tobago forward dragged his shot just wide of goal as Ole’s team went in a goal behind at the break against a rejuvenated Fulham side.

HALF TIME: FULHAM 1-0 CARDIFF CITY

Ole’s side could easily have been two goals behind after 52 minutes as Fulham captain Parker ran through on goal. The midfielder’s left footed strike was well saved by Marshall, with young forward Cauley Woodrow striking the rebound well over the crossbar. This good opportunity was punished three minutes later as Cardiff equalised, a little against the run of play.

Trinidad & Tobago striker Kenwyne Jones scored three goals in the first two games of the season and added a fourth goal of the campaign after 59 minutes. Creative midfielder MatsDæhli found the target-man in space in the opposition penalty box with a delicate pass, with Jones slotting the ball under Bettenelli to level the match before the hour mark.

GOAL: FULHAM 1-1 CARDIFF CITY (Kenwyne Jones, 55 mins)

Substitution, Cardiff City: Kagisho Dikgacoi replaced by Joe Ralls (59 minutes)

Substitutions, Fulham: Cauley Woodrow replaced by Adil Chihi (59 minutes)

City shot stopper Marshall continued to be a thorn in the side of lively Cottagers forward McCormack. The former Cardiff forward alongside Parker controlled the flow of possession for his team but despite his best efforts couldn’t find a way past Marshall. Ole GunnarSolskjær introduced forward Federico Macheda for the final twenty minutes at Craven Cottage hoping the former Manchester United man could recreate the impressive goal-scoring touch he has shown in midweek against Port Vale.

Substitution, Cardiff City: Adam Le Fondre replaced by Federico Macheda (70 minutes)

Substitutions, Fulham: Chris David replaced byMoussa Dembélé(75 minutes)

The Fulham players were incensed with ten minutes to play as referee James Adcock pulled the game back as they looked to break with Peter Whittingham taking the impact of the ball to the face from McCormack.

Substitution, Cardiff City:Mats Møller Dæhlireplaced by Magnus Wolff Wikrem (82 minutes)

Substitutions, Fulham: Scott Parker replaced by Thomas Eisfeld (82 minutes)

Marshall frustrated the home attack throughout the day and even got involved in the defensive aspect, dispossessingMoussa Dembélé near the corner flag as the forward tried to break clear.

Joe Ralls impressed once more when captaining the young Welsh Capital side to victory at Port Vale on Tuesday, scoring a superb goal in the process. The young midfielder’s thirty-yard shot was well held by Marcus Bettinelli with three minutes left to play at Craven Cottage.

Jordon Mutch’s last minute wonder goal sealed victory for Cardiff in this fixture last season but it was almost the hosts who won all three points when Hoogland’s shot from distance deflected off Anthony Pilkington with the lopping effort falling just wide of goal. Sean Morrison had the last chance to seal a victory, but he couldn’t get a clean connection on Whittingham’s corner as this competitive match ended level.

FULL TIME: FULHAM 1-1 CARDIFF CITY

Fulham:Bettinelli, Hoogland, Stafylidis, Bodurov, Parker (Eisfeld, 82), Voser, Woodrow, (Chihi, 59) Hyndman, David (Dembélé, 75), Burn, McCormack. Subs not used:Király, Hutchinson, Roberts, Williams.

Cardiff City:Marshall, Brayford, Fábio, Connolly, Morrison, Whittingham, Dikgacoi (Ralls, 59), Pilkington, Dæhli (Eikrem, 82), Le Fondre (Macheda, 70), Jones. Subs not used: Moore, Cala, Adeyemi, Guerra.

Referee:James Adcock

Attendance:17,508

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Vital Football

Fulham 1 Cardiff City 1

Cardiff responded to the defeat against Wolves last weekend by grabbing a point at Fulham on Saturday.

The struggling former Premier League side, who came down with us last season, looked for a large period as if they would break their winless streak against us but a second half goals earned us a 1-1 draw at Craven Cottage.

Just minutes into the game Scott Parker threatened but his 20 yard effort went just over with Ross McCormack curling wide not too long as we struggled to get into the game.

Tim Hoogland, who was impressive for Fulham, headed Fulham into the lead that they deserved as he got onto the end of a cross from McCormack after Parker played him in on the wing.

The post saved us, and denied Fulham, shortly after when McCormack's corner went direct onto the woodwork and Emerson Hyndman headed wide with Fulham well on top. David Marshall saved from Parker and Cauley Woodrow put over as Fulham's missed chances added up.

Missed chances from Fulham costs them in the end.

Mats Daelhi's cross to Kenwyne Jones saw him score his fourth goal of the season, he managed just one for us last season. Given the chance Jones calmly slotted home to equalise shortly after the break.

As expected this equaliser caused problems to Fulham with the fans becoming edgy and Fulham clearly rattled but clear cut chances for either didn't really come with McCormack claiming a penalty for a tug on him by Morrison, which wasn't given.

Hoogland's deflected late effort had Marshall scrambling but he did enough to keep his effort out as we claimed a point, which we probably wouldn't have got last season so this points to some improvement.

The Cardiff City debrief: Everything you need to know about the 1-1 draw at Fulham


Only a point at Fulham? Are you kidding me, aren't they like the worst side in the world?
Calm down will you. Sure, the Cottagers had lost all four of their opening Championship games, but they are a class side and in Scott Parker in the middle of the park they had arguably the best player on the pitch.

Cottagers boss Felix Magath will be relieved to get this first point, but it barely relieves the pressure from him. The Bluebirds were not at their best and they will take a point away to one of the sides who came down with them last year all day long. This was a very decent point for Ole Gunnar Solskjaer and his men.


Kenwyne Jones scored again. He's on fire
The problem with Kenwyne Jones is that all he does is score goals. Ha! No, that's four goals in five appearances now this season and that's what you call hitting the ground running.

But again, like a lot of his teammates here, the striker did not fire on all cylinders. Fulham deserved their first-half lead thanks to Tim Hoogland sneaking in and glancing home a corner. It was a goal the Cardiff defence is probably still asking questions about now.

Second-half, the Bluebirds did improve although the Cottagers might have got a second when David Marshall had to save from the influential Parker. Then, kind of out of the blue, the Bluebirds had their equaliser.

Peter Whittingham chipped it , Jones, headed it down to Mats Daehli and the striker continued his run before the little Norwegian found him well. Jones slotted the ball home with the minimum of fuss.

You sound a bit down on the Bluebirds, there must have been some good performances?
Daehli was totally sublime again in midfield. He caused Fulham so many problems. He looks like a schoolboy and that's how he plays, like a kid in the playground.

There's a gleeful abandon about him that cannot help but bring a smile to your face. He impressed down both flanks and he, of course, had the assist for the goal. Apart from that, there were a lot of Cardiff players who will be thinking they might have done a bit better.

Kagisho Dikgacoi made his first league start and was not outstanding. Anthony Pilkington was quiet (again) really and Peter Whittingham did little to impress those who are questioning his place in the side.



Bet Solskjaer fiddled around again too
Yes, he changed them all from the Capital One Cup side anyway. There were four changes from the last Championship game, the defeat at Wolves.

Mark Hudson was out, Matthew Connolly returned to centre-back and John Brayford was back in the side. I think when it comes to criticism of the tinkering, the one thing people would like to see is the Cardiff boss get a settled back-line.

Changes there hit the team hardest, it seems. Time and again, particularly in the first-half, Fulham pulled the Bluebirds out of shape a lot. Perhaps with another defender apparently set to come in, once the transfer window is closed, there will be a chance for some continuity.

Apart from that, Dikgacoi came in for the injured Aron Gunnarsson, Daehli was back in, with Tom Adeyemi (who it is fair to say the jury is still out on) moving to the bench. The final change saw Jones come in for Nicky Maynard. Most would argue that, apart from the returning Craig Noone, Solskjaer here was grasping towards his strongest side.





International break now. Not a bad start to the season for Solskjaer and his men
Yes, two wins, two draws and a defeat. Ninth place. Not bad really but could be better. Results have been OK, but if one is going to be picky then you could argue that Solskjaer's Bluebirds are yet to find their identity.

Every game feels like a one-off. That is often to do with changes in personnel, but it is also down to a lack of fluency and understanding sometimes. That will surely come though as time goes on, but supporters will be reasonably content.




Anything else to report?
Yes, one hilarious moment. Whittingham got booked near the end simply because he could not take a throw in. He was not time-wasting, he simply was incapable of taking it and the referee flashed a yellow.

Oh, and the Cardiff fans at Craven Cottage were just magnificent. There was apparently 2,500 of them there, but they were louder than the home fans most of the time.

It was interesting to note is that there was not a speck of red amongst them. Not a red scarf, a shirt - I don't even think anyone was wearing red underwear although I obviously didn't check. On 19 minutes 27 seconds, up went the blue scarves and the chorus of, "We'll always be blue!"

The protest is dignified and unceasing. Whether it is successful only time, and the caprice of Vincent Tan, will tell.

Why Cardiff City should be pleased with a point at Fulham

Metro
Benjamin James
Sunday 31 Aug 2014

Ole Gunnar Solskjaer should be pleased with a point at Craven Cottage (Picture: Getty Images)
A 1-1 draw at Fulham is nothing to be sniffed at. This time last year, it was a Premier League fixture and Jordon Mutch was slamming home a wonder-goal to win the game. This season, Kenwyne Jones was putting the ball away to secure a draw.

Fulham have had a poor start to the season but they have an excellent team. They’ve signed some good players and it surely is only a matter of time before they start firing. They took the lead in a first half where Cardiff were very poor. The overreaction of fans suggested we were losing to Blackpool, and when Blackpool only had eight players.

Ole admitted the first half was very poor but it was rectified in the second. Jones, a player dropped for the game at Wolves, put away the goal that meant Cardiff got a point. It was a typical Jones performance; he was pretty useless for the majority of the game yet scored his fourth goal of the season.

Ole once again tinkered with things; he brought John Brayford back in and Hudson dropped out of the squad completely. Jones started, after being benched against Wolves and Kagisho Dikgacoi also started.

It’s hard to keep track of the changes but Jones scoring vindicates Ole to a degree. I do feel as if Ole has done something we’ve all done on Football Manager; signed too many players without a system to accommodate! You need a big squad in the Championship. But it’s as if Ole has got too excited and signed too many players. He has to play them all or he risks them becoming unhappy.

A point at Fulham isn’t the end of the world and any club playing them now risks the backlash; Cardiff have two weeks off now before a big game against Norwich. If Cardiff lose that, I can understand fans worrying. But players like Ben Turner need to come back into the squad before we are at our best.

We should allow Ole our patience, and Ole should also allow us some consistency.