SWANSEA V CARDIFF: LAST GAME AT NINIUM PARK

January 8, 2020January 8, 20205 years ago 4 min read

This has to be the cruellest game in recent memory for the Swans. This was the first meeting between these sides at Ninium park for over a decade and was subsequently the last ever as Cardiff moved to a new stadium made entirely of lego.

The away side were the better side from the first whistle. Jordi Gomez was tripped by Paul Parry early on but Mike Dean failed to give the penalty. Moments later Mark Gower troubled Stuart Taylor in goal but the keeper was able to make a fairly comfortable save.

In the 11th minute, Nathan Dyer played a wonderful one-two with Jason Scotland to put himself free to fire left footed past Taylor to take a deserved lead. The home side responded well and put the Swans on the back foot somewhat. Mark Kennedy played a neat one-two on the left to send Chopra into the Swans box and his low cross was only just cut out by Ashley Williams.

The Swans looked dangerous on the break though and Gomez sent a left-foot volley dipping just over the Cardiff bar. But Cardiff resumed their stranglehold and the chances came thick and fast, although without any real quality in the final third.

You felt a goal was coming but not sure which way. The post came to Swansea’s rescue as Chopra turned on a sixpence and shot across keeper Dorus de Vries, who then had to plunge to his right as Bothroyd crashed the rebound goal-ward. Another good chance came and went when Chopra nodded a deep cross into Joe Ledley’s path, only for the Cardiff skipper’s momentary hesitation to let Gary Monk get a toe in.

However, the action was soured by an incident just before half-time that saw referee Dean cut on the forehead by an object thrown from the Bob Bank stand, occupied by home fans. Dean was to later thank those idiotic fans with a genuine gift but it is scenes we never want to see in a football match.

In credit to Cardiff, the club were able to identify the culprit almost immediately and have promised to ban Dean’s assailant for life. After the game, South Wales Police confirmed that a man has been arrested in connection with the incident…. Dean himself should have been arrested for his actions later in the game too……

Dyer almost doubled Swansea’s lead soon after the restart, as Taylor could only parry a Gomez shot into the little wingers path. But Kevin McNaughton did superbly to get back and scoop Dyer’s clipped shot off the line. The full-back’s next involvement was equally crucial as he started the move that led to Cardiff’s first equaliser.

The Scot outpaced Monk deep down the right wing and fed the supporting Parry behind him. The winger lofted his cross into the back post and, as Swansea waited in vain for an offside flag that never came, Bothroyd squared for Chopra to side-foot home from five yards.

Both sides went looking for a winner to boost their play-off chances but the better chances fell to the home side. Bothroyd had a low, driven free-kick diverted just wide as the Swansea wall stood firm. Then it took a superb save by De Vries to deny Ledley as he burst into the area, the Dutch stopper getting the faintest touch to divert the goal-bound shot past his right-hand post.

Allen came off the bench for the tiring Gower in the 66th minute and added fresh impetus to the Swansea attack. And two minutes from time the diminutive Wales Under-21 star seemed to have earned his club a famous win, when he picked up a loose ball on the edge of the area and lashed it past Taylor. I don’t think I have celebrated a goal more. Play-Off final included and it should have been the winner.

But in a frantic finale Cardiff played a hopeful ball high into the Swansea box and McCormack went tumbling over. I must have watched this challenge 50 times and at no stage, from any angle is it anywhere near a penalty but Mike Dean, clearly still concussed gave it and denied the Swans a famous victory.

Cardiff manager Dave Jones: “Two minutes to go it was a sloppy goal for us to give away, we were pressing to try and get the win and were caught with a sucker-punch. “But fantastic character from the players, they never gave up and came away with something from the game. “We deserved something and if we’d come away with nothing I would have been really down-hearted.”

Swansea manager Roberto Martinez: “If that’s a penalty you’re going to give six or seven penalties (in a game). “Both players are trying to get into a good position and it’s a very, very soft penalty. “But disappointing because the result doesn’t reflect the performance and to come here to Ninian Park is a big ask.”

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