' REPORTERS VIEW & BBC OF TODAYS CCFC GAME '

Bluebirds' winless run stretches to nine


The Bluebirds took on the Latics in this weekend's instalment of Championship action



By Glen Williams




Will Keane struck in the 96th-minute to earn Wigan Athletic a last-gasp draw against Cardiff City and extend the Bluebirds' winless run to nine games in all competitions.

A late Callum O'Dowda goal eight minutes from time initially looked to have proved decisive in what was ultimately a rotten match between the two sides.

But six minutes after the allotted 90, Keane popped up at the back post and smashed home Wigan's late leveller, sucking all the air of optimism out of the stadium.

This was billed as a game Cardiff had to win if they had designs on really pushing up the division and they were so close to doing it. That makes it all the worse.

The game only served to highlight their need for reinforcements at the top end of the pitch - and quickly. That's the only way this situation will be resolved in the short term.

Illness got the better of a number of first-team regulars for this one, with Rubin Colwill out all together and Cedric Kipre and Callum Robinson fit enough only for the bench.

It made for an interesting-looking team from Mark Hudson, but one with enough attacking thrust, one would think, to cause the worst defence in the league some problems. Cardiff's attack is also the worst in the division, mind you.

Mark Harris should have put City ahead with the earliest chance of the game. Ben Amos flapped at a cross and the ball fell into the Welshman's path, however he scuffed his shot from 12 yards out and the goalkeeper could atone for his earlier error.

The opening 45 minutes actually made for dire viewing, with clear-cut chances extremely few and far between after that early Harris opportunity.

If anyone was going to open things up, it looked likely to be Sheyi Ojo and it was he, on the half-hour mark, who whipped in a gorgeous ball towards the danger zone. However, Isaak Davies' header from close range was steered wide of the mark.

It wasn't a total surprise to hear boos ring out following what was essentially a chanceless first half. Kolo Toure's side had conceded 15 goals in his first five games in charge and it was a golden opportunity for the Bluebirds to impress themselves on a wobbly defence. But they were failing.

The second half didn't start much better, either, and, to be truthful, Cardiff should have been behind. Max Power chipped a delightful ball over City's back line and Miguel Azeez connected with it first time. However, in trying to lob Ryan Allsop, he also sent it over the bar. A let-off for Cardiff.

With 20 minutes to go, Cardiff will have felt lucky again not to have conceded when Ashley Fletcher was afforded a chance to shoot from close range. This time, Allsop made himself big and managed to produce a top save.

It was a good job he did, too, because a single strike was likely to decide the outcome of this slugfest. Fortunately for Mark Hudson, it fell Cardiff's way with less than 10 minutes to go.

Jaden Philogene, who was guilty of overplaying the ball in possession once or twice, looked to have wasted a good opportunity when he appeared to take too long to cross it into the box.

A dinked cross, an inviting one, too, was put on a plate for O'Dowda, who sprinted on to it before smashing it crisply into the bottom corner at the first time of asking. A huge, collected sigh of relief audibly permeated Cardiff City Stadium, but it would be short-lived.

The Cardiff bench were furious as they believed injury time had run its course, but the officials allowed Wigan one final attack, which was lumped from the back to the front before Keane, in front of his own fans, belted home from point-blank range.

Cardiff City XI: Allsop; Ng, Nelson, Simpson (Kipre 45), O’Dowda; Wintle, Ralls (Rinomhota 45); Harris (Etete 45), Ojo (Robinson 61), Philogene; Davies (Sawyers 81).

Subs: Alnwick, Sang.

Wigan Athletic XI: Amos; Nyambe, Tilt, Caulker, Hughes (Aasgard 90), McClean; Power, Naylor (Magennis 90), Cousins (Azeez 45); Lang (Fletcher 71), Keane.

Subs: Jones, Edwads, Darikwa.

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Will Keane's dramatic late equaliser rescued a point for Wigan at Cardiff City as the worst attack in the Championship was held by the worst defence in a 1-1 draw in south Wales.


BBC



The Bluebirds went ahead with nine minutes remaining as Callum O'Dowda fired through a crowded penalty area.

However, Wigan rescued a vital point when Keane finished from close-range to earn the Latics a deserved point.

The draw means Cardiff are now winless in nine games.

The Bluebirds will be furious, having conceded so late, just as they did against Leeds in the FA Cup.

Despite scoring twice against Premier League Leeds United in the FA Cup, Cardiff came into this contest as the lowest scorers in the Championship, with only 20 goals in 26 games.

Therefore it came as a significant blow that their top goalscorer, Callum Robinson, was only fit enough to be on the bench after suffering with illness as they came up against the worse defence in the division.

The stakes were high for this one, even though the quality reflected the lowly league positions of both clubs.

Wigan boss Kolo Toure handed a debut to a former club record, £8m Cardiff signing, ex-England defender Steven Caulker, who has returned after four-and-a-half years playing in Turkey, in a bid to improve a backline that had conceded 46 goals in 26 game.

The stakes for this contest were extremely high in the Championship relegation battle, with bottom-club Wigan four points behind the Bluebirds, but possibly in better form, with their winless run just six games, as opposed to eight for Cardiff.

However, Wigan have failed to keep a clean sheet in any of their last 13 league games, the current longest run without a shutout in the Championship, with Toure's side conceding four times in each of their last three games.

However, a battle of a leaky defence versus a blunt attack did not produce anything of note in an tepid opening 30 minutes where the only real chance fell to Mark Harris, whose shot was easily saved by Ben Amos.

Cardiff should have gone ahead on 30 minutes, but Isaak Davies headed over from close-range after Sheyi Ojo's fine run and cross, before his long-range chip was turned over the bar by Amos.

The Latics did not trouble Cardiff until the 38th minute, but when they did, Callum Lang might have scored with a header that drifted inches wide of the post, while Jordan Cousins also fired over before the break.

Bluebirds boss Mark Hudson made three substitutions at the interval, but it was a Wigan substitute, Miguel Azeez who almost broke the deadlock on 55 minutes, but he could not find the net on the stretch as he fired over, before Will Keane's firm drive was saved by Ryan Allsop at the second attempt.

Wigan looked the more likely side to force a winner and Ashley Fletcher's shot on 71 minutes was well blocked by Allsop, but the Latics were made to pay for their missed chances.

Cardiff's opener arrived on 81 minutes as O'Dowda fired through a crowd after Jaden Philogene found him in space.

But the Bluebirds were denied what would have been a valuable win as Wigan piled on the pressure late-on and the pressure told when Keane applied a close-range finish as he reacted fastest to the loose ball.

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Williams didn't even mention the penalty shout at the very end.

Another Tan puppet.

Williams didn't even mention the penalty shout at the very end.

Another Tan puppet.

Williams may as work for Tan / Dalman