GLATZ THE WAY TO DO IT
Bluebirds boss says his 6ft 3in striker is as good a finisher as he’s ever seen
ROBERT GLATZEL and Nathaniel Mendez-laing came on to score and prove that boss Neil Harris has set the right ‘benchmark’ for a play-off push.
Harris pepped things up with his inspired double substitution midway through the second half, and things began to happen for the Bluebirds.
After Joe Ralls’ breakthrough strike, Mendez-laing scored a superb solo effort, and in added time Glatzel scored again off the bench, as he did against Leeds the previous week.
The £5.5million signing from FC Heidenheim has now scored seven in 25 appearances for Cardiff since Neil Warnock bought him.
Glatzel’s latest contribution helped Cardiff leapfrog Preston, who were swept aside after Daniel Johnson’s 12th strike of the season had rubbed out Ralls’ opener.
Harris admitted: “The importance of subs is huge. We saw it against Leeds. You can’t go game after game with the same players.
“We are starting to see
Robert bear the fruit of the work
I have done with him. He wants to be a success at
Cardiff City.
“His finishing is as good as anybody I’ve worked with, either as a player or a coach. He’s a hungry lad who wants to score goals, and I’m really pleased with him.
“You look at him, a 6ft 3ins striker, and you think, he’s got to head it. But he’s actually a goalscorer, a finisher, a link player who just happens to be tall as well.
“If we can get him competing in an allround game, then he’ll be a real threat.”
On Mendez-laing, back after a hamstring rupture last December, Harris said: “You are seeing a lad who is playing with a smile on his face. It’s the first time I’ve really seen ‘Mendy’ looking so hungry and fit.
“He’s come back fresh and been a joy to have around the place. I fancied him to score.” Preston’s Ben
Pearson was sad not to get a win in his 150th appearance for the club. He said: “I’m disappointed. When you equalise so quickly, you should really take advantage and at least see the game out as a draw.
“But Cardiff made it difficult for us. They lock on you and play man-to-man.”
Deepdale boss Alex Neil (above, with opposite number Harris) claimed first-half shouts for penalties, the first against Scott Sinclair being “a no-brainer,” the next one against Alan Browne “a definite penalty.”
But he admitted: “We were wasteful at times. For the second goal, there were quite a few who were culpable for not defending properly.”
PRESTON: Rudd 7, Fisher 6 (Gallagher 76, 5), Bauer 7, Davies 6, Hughes 6, Pearson 6, Browne 7, Johnson 7 (Harrop 84), Barkhuizen 6 (Maguire 70, 6), Sinclair 6 (Potts 84), Stockley 6 (Nugent 84)
CARDIFF: Smithies 6, Sanderson 7, Morrison 7, Nelson 6, Bennett 7, Bacuna 6, Vaulkes 7, Adomah 6 (Glatzell 64, 6), Ralls 8 (Tomlin 77, 5), Hoilett 6 (Pack 90), Paterson 7 (Mendez-laing 64, 6)