Cardiff City 1-1 Burnley: Callum Robinson's last-gasp header earns Mark Hudson a draw on Bluebirds managerial debut
The Bluebirds welcomed the Clarets to Cardiff City Stadium this afternoon for Mark Hudson's first game as Cardiff boss
By Glen Williams
Mark Hudson saw his Cardiff City team grab a last-gasp equaliser courtesy of Callum Robinson's late header as they came from behind to draw 1-1 with Burnley.
Nathan Tella's goal just after the break handed the visitors the lead and it looked to all intents and purposes like City were heading for another defeat. But, in the 90th minute, Mahlon Romeo's lovely cross was buried by deadline day signing Robinson, on his home debut, to earn City their first point of the season having gone behind.
A dramatic first day in the dugout for interim boss Hudson.
The main headline of the team news, as far as Cardiff were concerned, was that there was no Rubin Colwill. Mark Hudson had alluded to a niggling injury before the game and it was enough to keep him out of this one.
On the whole, it looked an attacking setup from the Bluebirds. Hudson named a 4-4-2 and looked to be going on the front foot for this one.
And they started the game the better of the two sides, it must be said. Mark Harris was proving a nuisance to the Clarets' defence and his harrying yielded City's first chance of the game. He dispossessed Josh Cullen before laying the ball off into Callum Robinson's path, but the striker pulled his shot wide from the edge of the area.
Joe Ralls also caused the visitors some issues and his busy work in midfield saw Cardiff win the ball back and release Sheyi Ojo, but his shot was blocked by Taylor Harwood-Bellis before Robinson's follow-up was skied over the bar.
But the best chance of the first half for Cardiff came from a corner. Ralls whipped one in towards the near post and Robinson latched on to it, but his glancing header was wide of the upright.
It was a matter of time before the visitors, with all their quality, got into the match, though. Cullen hit one low shot to trouble Ryan Allsop, but the keeper got down well to maintain parity.
Then City fans had their hearts in their mouths when Mahlon Romeo's errant pass was intercepted by Josh Brownhill. The midfielder raced towards Cardiff's goal before sliding in Nathan Tella, who rounded Allsop and was brought down for a blatant penalty. The official already had his flag raised, though, much to the delight of the Cardiff City faithful.
But it was the Clarets who stamped their authority on the game after the break. A quick counter down Cardiff's left-hand side saw them exposed in the area. Tella burst into the box and looked to have clattered into Romeo. Romeo lay prone on the ground as Ian Maatsen sent in another cross and Tella, unmarked due to Romeo being on the floor, tapped home easily.
Cardiff's players raged and remonstrated with referee Gavin Ward, but no infringement was deemed to have taken place.
The Bluebirds just looked bereft of quality and ideas when they got up to the final third of the pitch. Their first chance on target came by virtue of a tame Ryan Wintle effort before Romeo smacked a decent shot from the edge of the box, but it was straight at Arijanet Muric.
Hudson called for changes - Andy Rinomhota, Gavin Whyte, Max Watters, Romaine Sawyers and Jack Simpson were all introduced - as he asked his team to do something they haven't done all season; come from behind to claim a point.
But it was their £1.5m signing, Callum Robinson, who finally came up trumps, having spurned a couple of chances earlier in the game.
Cardiff poured forward and Romeo's cross was pinpoint. Robinson headed low and hard and the sprawling Muric could do nothing about it.
Cardiff City XI: Allsop; Romeo, Ng, Kipre (Simpson 79), Nkounkou; Ojo (Sawyers 79), Wintle, Ralls (Rinomhota 64), O'Dowda (Whyte 72); Robinson, Harris (Watters 72).
Subs: Alnwick, Nelson.
Burnley XI: Muric; Roberts, Harwood-Bellis, Taylor, Maatsen; Cork, Cullen, Brownhill (Bastien 88); Tella (Zaroury 64), Gudmundsson (Benson 64), Rodriguez (Barnes 64).
Subs: Peacock-Farrell, Vitinho, Beyer.
Attendance: 18,508
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