IN LIKE FLINT
Mccarthy hails derby day big man Aden
MICK MCCARTHY saluted his battling Bluebirds for the kind of victory he loves – rough, tough and full of pain for the neighbours.
It was the Cardiff manager’s first taste of a South Wales derby and he savoured a spicy dish laced with a winning goal from Aden Flint.
The 6ft 6in centre-back scored with a powerful header in the eighth minute and was then part of a resolute rearguard effort that absorbed and finally blunted everything their rivals could throw at them.
Cardiff ’s players celebrated noisily at the end – and pointedly in view of their rivals, according to Mccarthy.
He said: “When Swansea won at our place, they celebrated as if they had won the league so
you might say that was retribution. I think the players wanted to prove a point and why not?
“They earned the right as they won with a performance full of determination and resilience.
“This gives us back our momentum and we deserve it because the boys have worked their socks off.
“And I’m really pleased for Aden. I’ve always really rated him as a centre-back and I was surprised to hear he had gone out of our club on loan. He’s been fantastic for me.”
The victory maintains a strange Welsh voodoo with neither club having ever completed a league double since fixtures began back in the 1930s.
Swansea had won 2-0 in the
Welsh capital earlier in the season, but Morgan Whittaker spurned a great chance to equalise late on.
Andre Ayew was also unlucky with a header that hit the post with 20 minutes left. But Cardiff deserved their victory – which was in the image of their boss. Flint’s goal, however, was enough to revive Cardiff ’s play-off charge and damage their neighbours’ hopes of clinging on to Watford and Norwich in the automatic promotion slots.
Mccarthy had transformed Cardiff’s season with six successive victories, but one win in five games going into this match had stalled their charge.
After eight minutes they were ahead. Swans keeper Freddie
SWANSEA CITY CARDIFF CITY 1 ......... Shots on Target ......... 7 9 ........ Shots off Target ......... 2 11 ................ Corners ................ 0 7 .................. Fouls .................. 14 2 ............... Offsides ................. 3 81.4 ...Passing Success % .... 51.9 614 ....... Total Passes ......... 216 74.6 ..... Possession % ..... 25.4 53.9..Territorial Adv %...46.1
Woodman denied Marlon Pack from a long throw, but could nothing to stop Flint’s thrusting header.
Swansea created plenty of openings, but time and again they were denied by a blue shirt.
Boss Steve Cooper said: “It’s a tough one to get over, I won’t lie and I won’t hide away from that.
“We’ve got to come back stronger. But the bigger picture is we’re in a really positive league position and one that will be envied by everybody below us.”
SWANSEA CITY: Woodman 6; Naughton 6 (Lowe 76), Bennett 7, Guehi 7; Roberts 6, Fulton 6 (Dhanda 80), Grimes 7, Bidwell 6 (Manning 76); Hourihane 6 (Smith 18, 6); Whittaker 7, Ayew 6.
Unused subs: Hamer, Routledge, Latibeaudiere, Cooper, Cabango.
CARDIFF CITY: Phillips 7; Sang 7, Flint 7, Morrison 7, Brown 6, Ralls 6; Bacuna 6 (Murphy 66, 6), Pack 6, Vaulks 7; Wilson 6 (Ojo 84); Moore 6.
Unsed subs: Smithies, Williams, Watters, Harris, Hoilett, Colwill, Bowen.
MAN OF THE MATCH: Aden Flint. Towering header and equally lofty display in the centre of defence to deny Swansea.
REFEREE: Paul Tierney 7.