UNRUFFLED WARNOCK SEES HIS WANDERERS WOE GO ON
GOING into this contest, a game full of hot air, bluster and very little quality football, Neil Warnock had never taken three points from a visit to Bolton Wanderers, having drawn four and lost five from nine attempts at beating the Trotters.
You can now add another loss to that column. The Yorkshireman’s luckless spell at the Macron Stadium continues after a tempestuous game saw the Trotters run out deserved, if a little fortunate, winners.
Not that you would know it speaking to a smiling Warnock by the Macron touchline after the final whistle.
Whether he was thinking of Christmas just around the corner or how much he’s achieved in the past 12 months, who knows. But Bolton’s victory wasn’t going to dampen his spirits for very long.
Rough with the smooth, and all that. The veteran boss was taking this defeat in his stride, determined to enjoy his Christmas, relishing all the twists and turns of the promotion race still to come.
A 50-50 handball call that went against Sol Bamba and a lacklustre reaction to going 1-0 down ultimately scuppered Cardiff City on this occasion. Lee Tomlin was subbed and promptly hooked off before the end in another intriguing plot-line to emerge from an ugly game.
Despite Warnock’s horrendous record at Bolton, the clashes with Reading and Hull (both wins) had been preceded by similar stats, the number crunchers clearly trying to convince people that Warnock’s Cardiff are just a game away from collapsing.
Not in Warnock’s book. This was a mere blemish on a fantastic season that still offers so much hope.
Yet, with Wolves beating Ipswich 1-0 at home and a big win for red-hot Derby County (3-0 against Millwall), it does still appear possible that the Bluebirds’ promotion campaign could yet falter.
That will be decided in their reaction to this result, home games against Fulham and Preston before New Year’s Day at Loftus Road giving the Bluebirds the perfect chance to respond in swashbuckling style if they so wish.
One of the few positives to come from the Bolton drudgery was Kenneth Zohore’s return, albeit in an ineffectual 24-minute cameo.
For this match, Warnock put his faith in a trusty old stalwart – Greg Halford selected for solidity instead of Tomlin’s flair.
It was a decision that raised eyebrows among the travelling media, as well as the fans whose calls for Tomlin’s regular inclusion might get a little louder after the former Bristol City star was bizarrely taken off late on. Warnock said he wanted his No.7 to avoid a needless red card, with the points all but gone after goals by Gary Madine and Josh Vela. Believe what you will.
The Bluebirds came into the match on a six-game unbeaten run, last tasting defeat against Bristol City on November 4 in a similarly rough-andready second-tier encounter.
And just like that disappointing day at Ashton Gate it was Cardiff’s opponents who started and ended on top.
Cardiff showed some attacking impetus before the break, but in the main it was a first half that typified the physical nature of the Championship.
Bolton’s defensive midfield duo of Karl Henry and Darren Pratley packed a serious punch and the Trotters played Cardiff at their own game.
Just ask Loic Damour, who looked visibly rattled and was another Warnock had to remove before referee Darren Bond showed red. Ask Tomlin.
A drab, but not disastrous 0-0 seemed inevitable until Bamba’s raised arm in the box connected with the ball and Bond had no hesitation in pointing to the spot. Madine’s emphatic penalty sent the Bolton faithful wild.
And when the striker squared to set up Josh Vela’s composed finish minutes before the end, the home crowd’s roars grew louder. The 1,010 Bluebirds supporters who made the long trip up the M6 wouldn’t have felt much festive cheer. They’d watched their side show promise in a 15-minute spell after the restart, but precious little else.
Yet, as Warnock gets his players together for a slice of turkey and a festive debrief at the season’s halfway mark, he will simply show them the league table and remind them what they’ve achieved in 2017.
Cardiff are still unbeaten at home this term, still yet to lose two games on the spin too.
So, Warnock will keep smiling and remind his players of those facts before Fulham arrive in to Cardiff for what should be a very different Boxing Day bout. For that, the Bluebirds have a counter-punch to deliver.