WARNOCK’S IN THE WARS
Bluebird Morrison haunts his old boss
NEIL Warnock was hoisted by his own petard as old favourite Sean Morrison earned Cardiff City a share of the spoils at the Riverside.
Morrison, 30, scored seven times when Warnock led the Bluebirds on a fairytale promotion to the Premier League in the 2017-18 season.
And it was the defender’s header from a Will Vaulks long throw – deservedly cancelled out by Paddy McNair’s late effort – that ultimately extended Cardiff ’s unbeaten run to nine matches.
“Warney had all of these lads in his team when my teams used to play against him, and they launched everything into the box,” laughed McCarthy.
“He said something to me about that the way we scored, and I said ‘Well, you bought them all, I’m just using them!’
“But you know Neil. He was just complaining because that’s what he does. We’re both the same, really. If we’re not complaining you may as well nail the lid down because we’ll have croaked it.”
McCarthy has yet to taste defeat since replacing Neil Harris at the end of January and six straight wins prior to his arrival on Teesside had transformed a dismal season into a play-off push.
Cardiff, though, looked nothing like the all-conquering side that has blazed a trail through the Championship.
Kieffer Moore was isolated, Harry Wilson quiet. Josh Murphy, man-marked to within an inch of his life by Anfernee Dijksteel, must have craved a spot of social distancing.
Even at their best, however, the Bluebirds rarely dominate opponents. Their primary weapons are the obduracy and physical power first instilled by Warnock on that heady ride to the Premier League.
Cardiff are a much changed side since then, but those fundamentals remain.
Having repelled what limited thrusts Boro could muster, Cardiff booted clear a corner which Dijksteel headed out of play.
Vaulks launched a trademark throw, found Morrison in a scrum of bodies and the defender craned his neck to nod inside an unguarded far post.
In truth, Boro’s biggest problem was not Cardiff’s organisation. It was their own tactical approach. On the rare first-half occasions when the home side got the ball down, Britt Assombalonga forced a save from Dillon Phillips and Duncan Watmore very nearly squeezed one inside the near post.
Yet for the first 30 minutes of a stagnant second half, Boro’s players launched hopeful mortars that were predictably swallowed up. Only when the skillful Neeskens Kebano arrived from the bench were the visitors stretched, and the winger was pivotal in levelling the scores.
Slipped in by Jonny Howson, Kebano fizzed a powerful cross into the six-yard box that former Boro boy Aden Flint hacked at the pressing James Tavernier. Chuba Akpom headed on the loose ball and McNair couldn’t miss.
“I could say their goal was bad luck, but I’d say credit to them,” said McCarthy, whose side drop from sixth to eighth. “They were pressing, they made it happen. And I’ve got no complaints. We came away with a point and that’s what matters in the end.”
Boro have struggled for those, especially at home, and have now slipped five points adrift of the top six. Warnock, though, was buoyant.
“We enjoyed it today,” he said. “I’ve been on at them all week about how difficult it will be because of the way Cardiff play.
“But the lads competed other than the goal and we played some good stuff at times.
“The goal came and the lads on the bench said ‘Let’s make sure we don’t give it away. But I said let’s go and win it’. We didn’t, but it’s a promising game in the circumstances.”