LEADER OF THE PACK
IF you caught Marlon Pack’s debut against Luton Town last weekend, you could be forgiven for thinking he had been patrolling the midfield at Cardiff City Stadium for years.
He sat deep, protected the back four, yelled orders at Joe Ralls and Callum Paterson and provided a much-needed air of calm when the visitors were enjoying the lion’s share of possession.
Neil Warnock talked up the midfielder before the game and therefore, despite him being at the club less than 48 hours, it was no surprise to see him thrown straight into the starting line-up.
Pack, at least on the little evidence we have so far in a Cardiff shirt, appears to be a Warnock signing through and through. There are no frills, there is little extravagance, but there is a grit and combativeness.
The manager after the game pointed to the influence Aron Gunnarsson once had in the Bluebirds’ midfield, before his move to Qatari club Al-Arabi this summer, and believes Pack is the perfect man to fill that sizeable void.
The 28-year-old has 461 games under his belt already following spells at Portsmouth, Wycombe, Dagenham and Redbridge, Cheltenham and, most recently, Bristol City.
His pedigree at this level alone also cannot be underestimated–- he played 168 Championship games in his six years at Ashton Gate.
In the opening-day defeat by Wigan, it was evident that Cardiff were lacking in midfield and it perhaps nudged Warnock into upping his pursuit for another central midfielder, following the acquisition of Wales international Will Vaulks earlier in the window.
The manager was adamant Luton would not run riot in midfield and was almost press-ganged into starting Pack.
The player took it all in his stride, later admitting his former Robins team-mate Aden Flint had helped him cope with a turbulent few days.
“The lads have been great at welcoming me to the club,” Pack told the club’s website. “Flinty’s been like my
babysitter! Knowing someone at the club helps me to blend in, but the lads have been great with the talking.
“It felt easy playing with them, and when you build more relationships it will hopefully get even better.”
It looked easy for him, too – indeed we made him the Echo’s star man in the player ratings. With Luton having dominating possession, Pack had to defend with an assured air and was afforded little opportunity to display his range of passing.
However Cardiff looked most dangerous on the break – the pace of Josh Murphy, Robert Glatzel and Gavin Whyte was crucial in the counterattack –and the midfielder did show glimpses of how his neat feet could put players into space, a feature which could prove vital in this promotion push.
With Cardiff snatching a 96th-minute goal through Isaac Vassell to claim their first win of the season, it was a hectic end to a whirlwind 48 hours for Pack. But, he hopes, it is a result, and performance, which signals only the beginning.
“With a late goal in the match there was probably no better way to get my first appearance for the club,” he added. “Obviously, things will take time, but it wasn’t a bad start.”