KEN DOES IT AGAIN!
ZOHORE STRIKES TO KEEP CARDIFF’S PROMOTION CHALLENGE ON TRACK
NEIL Warnock made the recent assertion that Cardiff City are going under the radar for promotion, and it was certainly very much a covert, albeit significant, step in the right direction in Suffolk on Wednesday night.
In the last few weeks, an understated promotion bid has arguably revolved around the understated contributions of goalscorer Kenneth Zohore, whose first goal since Boxing Day sealed what could prove to be a pivotal win.
The Dane, who has been a near constant target for praise from Warnock and the Buebirds faithful, poked home just after the hour to ensure City didn’t miss out on the window opened up by the likes of Aston Villa and Derby County, both of whom managed to slip up in their respective bids for what is becoming an increasingly coveted secondplace spot.
Pleasingly, Zohore wasn’t the only one to shine.
Matthew Connolly looked assured and sharp on his return to first team action, while Nathaniel MendezLaing and Loic Damour both marked their own returns to the side with welcome glimpses of their former selves.
It most certainly wasn’t the prettiest of wins, and the most pressing issue for Warnock now will be the injury to skipper Sean Morrison, who limped off late in the first half.
However, it does build some much-needed momentum ahead of what is becoming an increasingly significant Severnside derby on Sunday, and also places yet another clean sheet under the every widening belt.
The gaffer said they needed 16 for the play-offs. They’re now only one away.
The much-publicised quip about catching Wolves may well have been intended as a gag, but the boss may well need to reassess his side’s targets if things keep going like this.
In contrast, Mick McCarthy had already hinted to the local press after his side’s 1-1 draw with bitter local rivals Norwich City that the play-offs were beyond his side and that he would be tempted to experiment over the coming weeks, and those comments proved to carry a fair amount of weight when the teamsheets were handed around the press room at chilly Portman
Road before kick-off.
Martyn Waghorn and Joe Garner, forwards that Neil Warnock had specifically singled out as a potential threat to his side’s impressive defensive credentionals, were both absent, with Freddie Sears starting on his own up front.
Then again, Warnock had a few surprises of his own, handing a shock start to Connolly, who nearly grabbed the headlines after just two minutes.
A typically menacing ball from Joe Ralls fell kindly for the defender, but he could only skew his shot wide from close range.
A few onlookers may have viewed that early chance as indication of things to come, but opportunities for both sides proved at a premium during a scrappy opening 10 minutes.
Marko Grujic and Kenneth Zohore both snapped speculative attempts over the bar, but City otherwise struggled to flex their attacking muscles and, worryingly looked equally unsure of themselves at the back, with Sol Bamba and Bruno Manga both nearly punished for some occasional sloppy clearances.
Having been a specatator for much of the first half, Neil Etheridge showed some much needed composure just before half an hour, tipping Grant Ward’s drive round the post following a promising counterattack, before plucking Luke Hyam’s deflected effort out of the air around five minutes later.
Cardiff’s unease then jumped up a notch twice in a minute. First Freddie Sears saw a curled effort deflected wide, before captain Sean Morrison was forced off with a rather innocous looking injury just before the break.
Insult was nearly added to injury moments later, as Bersant Celina burst through the defence and looked to skip round Etheridge, who again kept his head to usher the threat wide and to safety.
Warnock, who had previously bemoaned the ‘physical’ label often fixed to his side, threw Gary Madine on at half-time in a bid to get his team to grab the contest by the scruff of the neck, but Ipswich continued to ask questions, with Luke Chambers narrowly heading over from Celina’s corner.
Madine’s influence did become apparent as the second half wore on, with the forward setting up Damour to drive wide from the edge of the area, but a breakthrough was to come just after the hour.
Despite his goal drought, Zohore attemted to fire home a dinked cross from the left with a spectacular overhead kick, only to mess it up and fall flat on the ball, before dusting himself off to calmly poke home and send the 371 visiting fans into raptures.
Ipswich did their best to respond, with Celina and Cole Skuse both failing to unlock an increasingly solid Cardiff defence, who held out to ensure that Warnock once again got the better of his pal Mick, who was greeted with vehement boos from
the home crowd at full-time.
In contrast, this win will have been hugely satisfying for Warnock, who will know that successful promotion bids are built on taking chances like this.
Watch this space folks. IPSWICH: Bialkowski; Carter-Vickers, Chambers, Webster (capt), Spence (Waghorn 79), Ward (Bru 85), Skuse, Hyam (Connolly 74), Knudsen, Sears, Celina Subs: Iorfa, Crowe (gk), Gleeson, Kenlock
CARDIFF: Etheridge; Manga, Morrison (capt) (Halford 40), Bamba, Connolly, Damour, Grujic (Madine 45), Ralls, Mendez-Laing, Zohore (Bryson 87), Hoilett
Subs: Feeney, Pilkington, Murphy (gk), Wildschut Referee: Andy Davies (Hampshire) Att: 13,205 Other Championship results: Bristol City 1 Fulham 1; Derby 2 Leeds 2; Wolves 2 Norwich 2