CARDIFF 2 BARNSLEY 1
AS Cardiff City swatted Barnsley aside with two goals from midfielders on a mild March night, they in turn squashed any lingering doubts from supporters that this would be a horribly predictable banana skin.
Because, bar a kamikaze 30 minutes in the second half, this was typically hard-fought fayre from Cardiff against a battling Barnsley outfit.
The only thing missing perhaps was a slice of history. A clean sheet would have marked the first time a Cardiff team had ever secured five successive wins without conceding. No matter, five wins on the bounce will do nicely. History can wait.
Maybe the other thing missing was a dash of composure. As Barnsley rallied, the Bluebirds lost their control, unsettled by on-loan Swansea striker Oli McBurnie who got the visitors’ goal.
But this was a night on which Callum Paterson’s all-action midfield play was rewarded with a coolly-taken goal and Marko Grujic threaded home his first Bluebirds strike. A night on which the promotion charge rolled on despite a serious assault on their goal. It was also a night Neil Warnock brought two forgotten figures back into the fray: Craig Bryson and Kadeem Harris, neither of whom had started a Cardiff game in 2018.
After playing such a pivotal role for the Bluebirds last year in his breakthrough season as a professional, Harris was ready to become a mainstay this term.
Yet an ankle problem sustained in a pre-season clash with Livingston – and further injury set-backs – have delayed the wide man’s progress.
Bryson’s last start came in the 4-2 defeat to Fulham on Boxing Day during that torrid Christmas run for the Bluebirds.
For both, confidence will have been much restored after this one; not only because they were given game time by Warnock, but they were given winning game time. Harris’ pace, a much cherished asset to the team last season before Paterson, Nathaniel Mendez-Laing et al had arrived, was on display from the first minute as if he’d never been away.
He started on the left, usually the domain of the Player Of The Season elect Junior Hoilett, who was shuffled across to the right (for a time) to accommodate his returning wing partner.
And it was Harris who had the game’s first shot in anger after cutting inside on his right foot and firing into the side netting.
After a couple of hefty tackles saw early bookings for either side’s respective midfield enforcer, Mako Grujic and Gary Gardner, the hosts almost scrambled home an opener after 17 minutes following a set-piece skirmish. Paterson was denied at the back post by Ethan Pinnock’s despairing block.
Harris then came close again as the clock ticked past 20 minutes. Paterson’s first-time lob found the run of Kenneth Zohore, who fed the onrushing Harris to scuff inches past the post.
The Dane again looked somewhere approaching his best, clearly buoyed by back-to-back goals against Bristol City and Ipswich. You can tell he’s in form when he’s fashioning chances for himself, as he did on 28 minutes, a right-footed shot straight at Nick Townsend in the Tykes’ goal.
Ironically, it was a mis-kick from Zohore that presented Paterson with a simple chance to open the scoring.
Hoilett raced down the left, crossing low for Zohore only for the ball to bobble kindly off the frontman to the unmarked Scotsman, who rolled home his sixth of the season - and second against Barnsley. For a player who made his first appearance of the season in October, that’s some record.
And it might have been seven for the campaign had the linesman’s flag not chalked off a fine Paterson header in first half added time. Hoilett’s cross again found the Scot, but he was adjudged to be offside.
Before that, things had just become
a little panicky for the Bluebirds.
Bradley Potts’ attempts to give-andgo through central areas almost paid off when he wrong-footed Bamba.
And twice Mamadou Thiam thought he could test Neil Etheridge after marauding past Joe Bennett into the right channel, but both times he was thwarted by last ditch Cardiff tackles. The defensive effort, as well as the searing pace up front, was combining well for Cardiff yet again.
The crowd had barely settled down after half time when Grujic curled into the bottom corner from 20 yards to make it 2-0. Both the Barnsley defence and goalkeeper were caught on their heels and the on-loan Liverpool men picked his spot from the edge of the penalty box. Paterson – a doubt before the game – then went down on 55 minutes to provide a worry or two.
After such a bustling display in midfield it was a concern to see the Scot limp off, eventually replaced by Loic Damour seven minutes later.
It was another Scot, however in McBurnie, who had given Barnsley a lifeline a moment earlier, reacting faster than Cardiff’s static defence and turning home to make it 2-1.
Etheridge was then on hand to prevent another six-yard box scramble resulting in an equaliser, saving from the on-loan Swans frontman. The goalkeeper later sprawled at feet of Kieffer Moore to keep it at 2-1.
Despite that major second half wobble, Warnock will be at pains to point out this was a victory ground out without captain Sean Morrison, not to mention midfield duo Joe Ralls and Aron Gunnarsson, all injured.
Bryson should have put the game to bed in any case, skewing a simple chance wide. Mendez-Laing then struck a post in injury time but 2-1 proved to be enough in the end.