VINTAGE SOL HANDS NEIL ‘DREAM START’
NO ONE has ever mistaken Sol Bamba for Franz Beckenbauer, but he could well be the man to take Cardiff City out of the doldrums after Neil Warnock picked him up off the scrapheap.
Bamba was never afraid to shirk a challenge – or shy away from stating his opinions – as captain of an ever-turbulent Leeds.
However, his departure from Elland Road by mutual consent last month was at least partially motivated by the thinking that the 31-year-old’s powers were on the wane.
On the basis of Friday night’s evidence, he has already found an elixir in the Welsh capital, gilding a superb defensive performance with what turned out to be the winner.
And Warnock – who could not resist answering the Bluebirds’ SOS call a fortnight ago – revealed he had made a pact with Bamba when the pair both found themselves out of employment.
“He thinks he’s Beckenbauer at times, but he just got rid of the ball tonight,” said Warnock after his first game in charge since replacing Paul Trollope.
“He made some really crucial tackles too. He’s a leader and great in the dressing room.
“I spoke to him on the pitch at Leeds when I was Rotherham manager and said ‘I wish I could get hold of you’. And it turned out that we were both without a club this summer, so I rang him and said ‘wherever I’m going, you’re coming with me’ – and here we are.”
Warnock played up to a crowd that had gained in numbers by more than 8,000 since their last home game by ‘Doing the Ayotollah’ before taking his place in the dug-out. And style was married with substance as Cardiff outgunned a Bristol City side that did not look like they had entered the fixture riding three successive league victories.
Peter Whittingham converted from the spot after Craig Noone, who looked offside in the buildup, had won the penalty with his trickery.
In the second half Bamba was the first man to react to Rickie Lambert’s shot off the bar and volleyed in, though Lee Tomlin’s strike from the edge of the box made things interesting with 20 minutes to go.
Tempers flared as Tomlin’s goal came as Bluebirds defender Lex Immers was down injured – but Cardiff need not have worried as Warnock and Bamba made ideal first impressions.
“It was a dream start, I thought we deserved it and the new lads did really well,” Warnock added.
“I have told the players they have to enjoy it. When that whistle goes and I see a team putting everything out there for me, you cannot want any more than that.
“We still have work to do, we were underdogs and there will be a few more games in the coming weeks when we will be underdogs.”
Sean Morrison had also hit the bar for the hosts in the second half but their night could have been ruined only for substitute Bobby Reid to balloon over the bar with the goal gaping.
“We’re hurting, as it’s a derby and we didn’t want to lose it,” said Bristol City manager Lee Johnson. “We were really poor in the first half and I didn’t feel that we played our game.
“It’s disappointing, but, in the big picture, we’ve still had a decent start and we have to learn our lessons from this one.”