Sat Sep 20, 2014 5:48 pm
Sat September 20th
Derby 2-2 Cardiff City
Craig Bryson's late goal saved a point for Derby County and denied caretaker duo Danny Gabbidon and Scott Young the perfect start in charge of Cardiff.
Aron Gunnarsson had put Cardiff ahead after Matthew Connolly flicked on a corner and Peter Whittingham doubled their lead with a left-foot rocket.
Derby hit back when Cyrus Christie laid on a perfect ball for Jordon Ibe.
With four minutes remaining, Bryson let fly from distance and saw his shot go in off the inside of the post.
The result capped a turbulent week for Cardiff following the departure of manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, which saw Gabbidon and Young thrust into the Bluebirds hot-seat and make three changes in personnel.
If Cardiff's focus was on the new men in charge, then Derby's was firmly on a great leader of the past and there was a minute's applause to mark the 10th anniversary of the death of former manager Brian Clough.
Gunnarsson nearly put an early dampener on the Pride Park atmosphere as he headed narrowly wide from a free-kick.
But the Rams then took charge and only good saves from David Marshall in the Cardiff goal denied first Chris Martin and then Jamie Ward.
Cardiff were on the back foot for most of the first half but came out after the break reinvigorated and stunned Derby with two goals in the space of five minutes.
Pilkington set up Gunnarsson for a shot that was deflected behind and from the corner Connolly headed the ball back across for Gunnarsson to hook it past Lee Grant from six yards.
Former Norwich winger Pilkington had a hand in Cardiff's second as he went past two defenders on the right to set up Whittingham, who lashed a shot into the top right corner from 15 yards.
On-loan Liverpool wing Ibe, who Derby boss Steve McClaren had sent on moments before, got them back in the game when Christie played the ball across the face of the Cardiff box for the teenager to score.
Cardiff were on the back foot again and the pressure finally told in the 84th minute when Johnny Russell cut in from the right and found Bryson, who unleashed an unstoppable shot from 20 yards which hit the inside of a post and flashed past Marshall.
Steve McLaren :"You could probably have said at half-time there was only going to be one winner so to be two down five minutes into the second half, there was disbelief, I think on their bench as well.
"But then there was terrific character shown by the players to come back and we could and should have won it at the end. Again the players have shown great character and climbed a mountain.
"We looked at this week and thought it would be one of the toughest we would have in the Championship.
Scott Young : "Our directive was to take charge of the team today and I'm sure we will be having a conversation with the chairman and the owner pretty soon.
"We have the wheels in motion to prepare the team for Tuesday already and we will have a conversation and see where it takes us.
(On his partnership with joint-caretaker Danny Gabbidon) "We bounce off each other, we've known each other for a long, long time and played together many years ago so we are both on the same page which is the most important thing."
Sat Sep 20, 2014 9:26 pm
BATTLING BLUEBIRDS EARN POINT AT DERBY
20th September 2014
by Mark Denham
Positive start for Caretakers Young & Gabbidon at the iPro
Snapshot
A revitalised and spirited Cardiff City came away from Derby County's iPro Stadium with a hard-earned 2-2 draw on Saturday.
An Aron Gunnarsson goal and a sublime Peter Whittingham effort saw Scott Young & Danny Gabbidon's Bluebirds take a 2-0 lead in the second half.
Indeed, it was only a Craig Bryson wonder-goal five minutes from the end that denied City three points that they arguably deserved.
Chronological Report
Thirteen hundred noisy Bluebirds sang the names of Danny Gabbidon and Scott Young ahead of kick-off, audibly backing the two City greats in their first game as City Caretaker Managers.
Cardiff were first to deliver a ball into the opposing penalty area, after the returning Craig Noone was brought down 25 yards from goal to the left of the Derby area. Anthony Pilkington’s free-kick was good, though Aron Gunnarsson’s well-met header dipped just over Lee Grant’s cross bar.
Derby came back strongly though and twice could have take the lead through striker Chris Martin. Having been played through in the eighth minute, only a sublime David Marshall save kept the scores at 1-1; two minutes later, Martin found the net from a similar position, though this time saw his goal chalked out by the linesman’s flag.
The home side continued their attack, and it was Marshall again in the fifteenth minute who kept the scores level. The raucous iPro Stadium faithful were incensed as Referee Andre Marriner waved away calls for a free-kick and red card, as the City Skipper raced from his area and tackled the on rushing Jordon Ibe, directing the ball behind to safety.
After a nervy opening 20 minutes, Cardiff came back much stronger as they looked to put pressure on the Derby area. Indeed it was a counter attack that almost caught them out in the 28th minute, some defensive indecision leading to a point blank save from Marshall from a Jamie Ward strike.
Derby right-back Cyrus Christie was enjoying plenty of time and possession down the Rams’ right, delivering consistently but being thwarted by a sturdy City back-line. With refereeing decisions not going their way as regularly as the home support wished, tension was building inside the iPro Stadium as the game drifted towards half-time.
HALF TIME: DERBY COUNTY 0-0 CARDIFF CITY
City looked much more organised after the restart, playing with a confidence to go forward. Some sublime footwork down the right by Anthony Pilkington saw the winner lay a pass off for Aron Gunanrsson to strike; his effort took a deflection wide of Grant’s near post, though from Pilkington’s subsequent corner, the Icelandic midfielder poked home from close range to give his side the lead.
GOAL: DERBY COUNTY 0-1 CARDIFF CITY (Gunnarsson, 52 mins)
City were rampant and Derby were evidently shaken at the back. Just two minutes after Gunnarsson’s opener, the battling Bluebirds were two to the good. More good play from Pilkington saw the ball fall for Peter Whittingham inside the area – and despite a terrible challenge that surely would have brought about the penalty kick, the midfielder struck home superbly to double his side’s advantage.
GOAL: DERBY COUNTY 0-2 CARDIFF CITY (Whittingham, 55 mins)
An incredible second half continued to deliver at the iPro as Derby found a route back into the game on the hour mark. Good play down the right hand side by Simon Dawkins as the midfielder played a perfect ball across the area to find the onrushing Jordan Ibe. Marshall was helpless as the winger found the perfect connection to tuck home. Unsurprisingly, the goal lifted the Derby faithful.
GOAL: DERBY COUNTY 1-2 CARDIFF CITY (Ibe, 60 mins)
Substitution, Cardiff City: Adam Le Fondre on for Craig Noone (63 mins)
Substitution, Cardiff City: Nicky Maynard on for Aron Gunnarsson (73 mins)
Aron Gunnarsson was replaced by Nicky Maynard in the 73 minute, the midfielder seemingly struggling with a knock incurred in the opening minute. And it was almost the perfect introduction – Maynard finding space in the area to hit a Jones knock down on the volley, first time; only a late Keogh intervention stopped it rocketing into the bottom corner.
Substitution, Derby County: Johnny Russell on for Jamie Ward (79 mins)
Derby were throwing everything at City in search of the equaliser. Substitute Russell struck superbly from distance in the 84th minute to bring out a terrific save from Marshall, though an even better effort was to follow. Craig Bryson found time from thirty yards out to hit a superb half-volley – Marshall rooted as the ball struck both posts before firing up into the corner of the net.
GOAL: DERBY COUNTY 2-2 CARDIFF CITY (Bryson, 85 mins)
With their cumulative tails up, the home side pushed for a late winner and bombarded the City box with wave after wave of balls into the box. A well organised Bluebirds outfit stayed compact though and remained composed to see themselves through five minutes of injury time and to a point away at many people’s Championship favourites.
FULL TIME: DERBY COUNTY 2 – 2 CARDIFF CITY
Derby County: Grant, Christie, Forsyth, Bryson, Keogh ©, Dawkins (Ibe , Martin, Ward, Eustace, Whitbread, Hughes. Subs: Roos, Russell, Naylor, Best, Shotton, Mascarell, Ibe.
Cardiff City: Marshall ©, Brayford, Manga, Whittingham, Jones, Noone, Connolly, Gunnarsson, Adeyemi, Pilkington, Ralls. Subs: Moore, Le Fondre, John, Daehli, Guerra, Maynard, Morrison.