Warnock went with 10 men to see how Bluebirds would cope

CARDIFF City ran out 7-2 winners in their pre-season friendly at AFC Tavistock , but actually finished the game with 10 men after double goal-scorer Nathaniel MendezLaing went off and wasn’t replaced.

And Neil Warnock revealed after the game it was a deliberate ploy to take the winger off without being replaced.

Cardiff had Jazz Richards waiting on the bench but he wasn’t used, with Warnock citing tactical experimentation as the reason behind the decision.

The Bluebirds also switched to a three-man defence for the second half, with captain Sean Morrison flanked by Bruno Manga and Matthew Connolly.

For Warnock, it was all about having different systems in place so his side can be versatile going into the Championship season.

“We’re going to have to look at three at the back, 4-4-2, 4-3-3, 4-32-1.. you name it,” he explained, saying games against the likes of Tavistock and Bodmin Town – who Cardiff face tonight – offered that chance to experiment.

“The teams you play in the Championship, you’ve got to be prepared to change to something different.

“Whether you’re trying to win the game, or trying to contain and get the points in the bag,” he said.

“We try and look at every aspect that we need to in pre-season. These games give us that opportunity.

“And in pre-season it’s good to try a few things.

“Even at the end, we went with 10 men to see how we coped with that as well.

“I thought it was a really good work-out, just what we wanted,” Warnock added.

“There were some good goals and some new players got themselves going.

“The movement in the front third was very good, especially in the first half. We changed it in the first half to accommodate certain situations but it was really enjoyable.

“I was disappointed to concede but then I’m always disappointed to concede.

“You’ve got to give Tavistock a lot of credit, they kept going and played some good stuff at times. It was a good night all round, a good crowd and plenty of goals

“I like Tavistock and Bodmin. Good crowds, good pitches and a good atmosphere.”