RIZA: ROBUST RAMSEY CAN HANDLE BOOS

HIS manager calls Aaron Ramsey a “national treasure” but home fans weren’t so generous in their description of the Cardiff skipper.

Of all the places to make your comeback after a five-month injury absence, at the scene of a horrific double leg-break courtesy of a challenge from Stoke centreback Ryan Shawcross.

It was 13 years ago when a then young Wales international was part of Arsene Wenger’s Arsenal.

But he became public enemy No. 1 in the eyes of the Potters fans because it is reported he didn’t engaged with Shawcross when the Stoke player offered an apology.

So from the first minute the Cardiff midfielder (above) touched the ball the boos rang out at an eerie and half-empty bet365 Stadium. It reached a crescendo when he was substituted.

Bluebirds boss Omer Riza admitted: “It was disappointing. Things happen in football. He’s a national treasure in Wales.

“It’s never nice but on the flip side Aaron has had a very good career and I’m sure he has dealt with a lot of things in the past.

“His character is robust enough to deal with it and it probably spurs him on to be even better. On one hand it’s disappointing, on the other he deals with it all well.”

To add fuel the fire Shawcross, retired as a player, was in the Stoke dugout as one of manager Mark Robins’ first team coaches.

Cardiff, with goals from the impressive Rubin Colwill and Yousef Salech made it 2-0 to the visitors after just 19 minutes.

Stoke came back with a swift three-goal burst with a double from Liverpool loanee Lewis Koumas and a Lewis Baker pen.

Another Colwill strike took the game into extra time with the Wales international keeping his cool to edge the shoot-out 4-2.

For Stoke boss Robins it was yet more FA Cup heartbreak. He said: “The number of my players going down with cramp is strange.

“For me in training there’s nothing like old fashioned running. Maybe some here are not used to that intensity. I have to try and change that.”