' Sory Kaba's mixed bag / goal but but his over all poor

' Sory Kaba's mixed bag / goal but but his over all poor display on the ball '


By Glen Williams


So, what to make of Kaba's home debut and full debut, after coming on as a substitute in the second half against Hull City last week.

It's clear he has a presence up top, something we have not seen since Jordan Hugill and Uche Ikpeazu returned to their parent clubs last summer. He has a wider frame than Kion Etete and won seven aerial duels against Boro.

But much of his first half was blighted by his poor hold-up play with the ball. After the second or third time Kaba lost the ball with his back to goal, assistant manager Sol Bamba raced to the tip of the technical area and animatedly urged the striker to shield the ball better and to keep possession in order to help Cardiff get further up the pitch.

Lo and behold, just minutes later, Kaba was dispossessed near the half-way line and Boro broke, scoring within seconds as Archer belted the ball into the roof of the net.

He did score, though, which is a positive - and not a feat to be taken lightly within this Cardiff squad. Most of the 19,000 in the stadium would have finished that chance, mind, after Robinson put it on a plate for him, two yards out, with an open goal in front of him. Nevertheless, a goal is a goal and Cardiff will take everything they can get.

In the second half, Kaba was far better. He won more of his duels, linked up play better than in the first half and looked more of a threat. He even tried an acrobatic overhead kick which he belted into the stands - but kudos must be given for the effort.

Some encouragement, but still a lot to work out. Etete looked good when he came on, so it will be interesting to see how Lamouchi balances the two - or whether he feels he can start both of them at some point.



But on Kaba, Lamouchi said: "He is a different player. We don't have this type of player in our squad. Kion is different, Robbo is different, so we needed one more option.

"I'm happy for him. I prefer to get some points and he scores another time - but he scored, so it's good for him. Keep going, we will see."