CARDIFF CITY 0 BRISTOL CITY 1:
A second-minute goal consigned Cardiff City to a derby defeat against Bristol City despite a dominant display from the home side.
Chris Martin put the Bluebirds a goal behind with just over a minute gone in the tie, in-keeping with City’s slow starts which have plagued their campaign to date.
But Cardiff battled back hard and controlled the remaining 88 minutes. However, a combination of last-ditch defending and less-than-average finishing resulted in a frustrating evening in the Welsh capital.
The Bluebirds came bouncing into this tie after a thumping 3-0 win over Barnsley in midweek.
The performance against the Tykes served to put a spring in Neil Harris’ step before the game and rightly so, many thought it had all clicked.
But it took fewer than two minutes for the spring to be quashed when the Robins took an early lead.
So often has that been the case this season and it really is putting the Bluebirds behind the eight ball. And the worst part is that it was all too easy.
Joe Bennett gave the ball away with a dreadful pass and the visitors countered quickly.
The ball found itself at the feet of Antoine Semenyo on the right and he drilled in a low cross to Martin, who bundled home from close range.
That first-goal mentality which Harris spoke of had gone right out the window without a ball having barely been kicked.
They needed to respond and, to their credit, they did. They took the game to the Robins and set about creating a glut of huge chances in the first half.
The first real City chance fell to Kieffer Moore, who rose highest in the box from a Marlon Pack corner, but his header was tipped round the post thanks to an acrobatic save from Daniel Bentley.
With just a quarter of an hour on the clock, the next big opportunity fell to Harry Wilson, but the Welshman miscued a Bennett cross when he looked a dead certainty to score, before Leandro Bacuna blasted the rebound over the bar from the edge of the box.
The Bluebirds began to move nicely through the gears in an attempt to grab this derby by the scruff of the neck.
The hosts’ wide players were really causing Bristol trouble, while Moore was winning all his aerial duels and Wilson looked a nuisance around the edge of the box, sending one leftfooted effort blazing over the bar from the edge of the box.
But the most gilt-edged chance of the first period for City came Moore’s way, when he climbed highest and powered a header towards goal from just five yards out, but it whistled over Bentley’s goal. It was agonisingly close.
As frustrated as they would have been to concede that first goal, it is fair to say Cardiff were by far the better side for the rest of the first half and there were many positives to take into the dressing room at the break.
Cardiff started the better of the two sides after the restart, save a few sloppy passes from which Bristol threatened to counter as they did very early on in the tie, but the next big chance didn’t come until the hour.
Bennett sent a beautiful ball to the back post and Wilson came steaming in from the far side to head at goal and he did so powerfully, but Bentley reacted quickly and palmed away from danger.
It soon became apparent that Cardiff needed more of a threat up top and Harris sought to change the dynamic by introducing Robert Glatzel just after the hour mark and, in doing so, shifting to a 4-4-2 formation, the one which worked so well last time out.
The Bluebirds kept banging down the door but their poor finishing continued to let them down,.
Wilson found Hoilett with a wicked cross shortly after and the winger nodded it back across goal but Ralls, just five yards out, skied his rightfooted volley.
Then, just as the clock ticked towards 90 minutes, Bennett lifted another excellent cross to the back post and Moore rose and powered a header towards goal, but, once again, Bentley was untroubled. That was the story of the night, really.
Cardiff huffed and puffed but just could not blow the door down.
It was certainly a better performance than what we have seen for the most part at home this season, but you can’t help but feel the Bluebirds will rue not getting anything out of this one.
Cardiff City XI: Smithies; Bacuna, Morrison, Nelson, Bennett; Pack, Ralls; Ojo (Glatzel 63), Wilson, Hoilett; Moore.
Subs: Phillips, Bamba, Bagan, Vaulks, Whyte, Murphy.
Bristol City: Bentley; Hunt, Vyner, Kalas, Da Silva (Rowe 88); O’Dowda, Nagy, Paterson (Moore 81); Martin, Semenyo, Wells (Brunt 72).
Subs: O’Leary, Edwards, Towler, Massengo.