Preston ruin proud unbeaten start on a dire night for City

PADRAIG Amond’s first-half goal proved decisive and fired Newport County to victory over Cheltenham on a rain-lashed evening at Rodney Parade, writes Carl Field.

County boss Mike Flynn made two changes to the side that drew 0-0 with Wycombe at the weekend, with Scot Bennett and Tom Owen-Evans coming in for injured skipper Joss Labadie and Robbie Willmott, who dropped to the bench respectively.

In what was a frantic start with the Robins winning two corners inside the first 90 seconds, Will Boyle had a sight of goal when the ball fell to him after a scramble inside the box but was unable to get his shot away.

County had a penalty appeal waved away in the eighth minute when Owen-Evans went down under a challenge from Harry Pell.

Matt Dolan then fizzed in a low shot from 30 yards but keeper Scott Flinders was equal to it on 14 minutes.

The visitors were presented with a glorious chance on 19 minutes when Mohamed Eisa seized on a misplaced pass from Dolan but shot wide in what was a big left off for County.

Rigg headed wide after 24 minutes from Owen-Evans’ cross and moments later, Flinders produced a flying save to turn Owen-Evans’ effort round for a corner.

As good as County were looking going forward they certainly looked vulnerable themselves and captain Kyle Storer should probably have scored for Cheltenham from Joe Morrell’s cross on 33 minutes.

However the opening goal did finally arrive two minutes later and it was for County when, after a corner and a misshit Ben White shot Amond, who wasted chances at the weekend, made no mistake this time, turning the ball home from close range at the back post to put them in front at the break.

Into the second half and Dolan sent a 25-yard free-kick wide while only Taylor Moore’s excellent last-ditch challenge halted Rigg in his tracks as he looked to go through on goal.

Meanwhile White did brilliantly to head off the line on 72 minutes to stop Storer heading the visitors level.

Amond very another late on. nearly added DEEPDALE has proven the beginning of the end of things for Cardiff City before now.

Few will forget how Dave Jones’ side were hit for six to wreck play-off hopes eight years ago.

And just 12 months ago a 3-0 defeat here underlined the problems facing Paul Trollope before he was sacked four fixtures later.

This time it was Cardiff’s unbeaten start to the season that was finished off by another heavy defeat amid heavy rain as Preston made the most of the Bluebirds’ weakest performance of the Championship season so far.

The difference, of course, that this is not the beginning of the end, but the end of the beginning.

Because it’s here when it gets real for Neil Warnock’s side in terms of those promotion hopes and their potential as a side.

The dream start was brought to a crushing end from goals from Josh Harrop, Sean Maguire and Alan Browne, all of which will have left Warnock fuming for one reason or another.

Because the disappointment came less from losing a game, but losing it by being below their best rather than being blown away by a superior side.

Preston were good and clearly motivated to be the first to knock the Bluebirds off their early-season perch, but no doubt were they made to look better by Cardiff who were unable to impose themselves as they have done.

It happens, even in sides that enjoy promotion success. Off days happen.

But how they respond to a display where they were below the superb standards they set themselves so far this year will say much about the team and those hopes of staying at the top end of this division.

Still, it will clearly have to be better than this where mistakes were made too often by too many players and stopped Cardiff’s front-men causing any of the problems they’ve caused previous opponents.

It will frustrate Warnock, not just because it denied him the chance to respond to Alex Neil’s comments of Cardiff being “no great shakes” with a result.

It will frustrate because all three goals could have been prevented; a direct free-kick, a near post effort after missed tackles and a long-range effort from Browne after a defensive mishap, but with questionable refereeing decisions thrown in for good measure.

It was unlike the Cardiff we’ve come to know under Warnock where individually and collectively they weren’t just at it.

Cardiff’s early sluggishness was as obvious as the rain that swept across Deepdale on a murky night that made the luminous green of Cardiff’s change shirts stand out even more than normal.

With no changes from the side that had to dig in and battle to take a point at Fulham, it was perhaps understandable players might have been leggy, but at the same time surprising Warnock had not done as he had hinted and brought fresh legs from his squad. Still, Warnock would have expected better from his Bluebirds all the same who seemed slower to react than their hosts for much of the opening period.

And Preston looked in the mood to take advantage of mistakes such as the giveaway by Joe Bennett that allowed Jordan Hughill to put Neil Etheridge at full stretch on 11 minutes. Bennett, to his credit, didn’t dwell on the error and instead made sure he was ready to provide a muchneeded challenge to clear up the loose ball and clear the danger.

It wasn’t an isolated incident as Cardiff struggled to keep the ball and put much telling pressure on Preston, something made all the more frustrating with how the Bluebirds seemed to easily worry their defence.

Junior Hoilett had looked livelier than most and, in his first chance to surge forward with the ball, Nathaniel Mendez-Laing cut through white shirts before teeing up Kenneth Zohore.

Paul Huntington’s hopeful slide to stop the shot was every bit as important as a goal. Joe Ralls might have found a fortunate lead when a 32nd minute shot spooned off a Preston defender and almost found its way past Chris Maxwell.

Yet it was opposite number Etheridge who was the busier of the two and then beaten seven minutes before the break. First impression suggested the Cardiff keeper might have done better as Harrop’s effort flashed past his dive into the far corner, though the frustration was more with referee Oliver Langford. The West Mildands official had let the game have its physical edge, though the free-kick against Bamba as he went for a header seemed soft. Both the manager and the centre-back made their points known, the latter being booked for his troubles.

The troubles weren’t over. With Tom Barkhuizen getting too much joy around Lee Peltier, his cross should have provided the second just before the break only for Sean Maguire’s header to be straight at Etheridge.

Though Cardiff pushed with some renewed vigour after the break, it came to little in terms of chances.

And instead they were susceptible to the counter, with one such move providing Maguire his chance to squeeze a shot past Etheridge at the near post with 20 minutes remaining with Bamba seemingly crucially caught out in the build-up.

And when Etheridge sliced a clearance under pressure from a suspiciously-looking offside Preston forward, Browne had the confidence to shoot from 35 yards and got his rewards.

It’s only the end of the beginning for the Bluebirds.

They are better than this and you’d back them to show it soon enough.