Bamba’s back, but too soon for the Lions’ Den
CARDIFF City have been handed a massive fitness boost with Sol Bamba having made his return to competitive action.
The towering Ivorian defender has been sidelined since a horrible knee injury curtailed his Premier League season back in March.
The 34-year-old has been streets ahead with his rehabilitation and has been eager to get back into the fray as soon as possible, however both the player and Neil Warnock have had their enthusiasm curbed by the club’s medical team in recent weeks.
The manager insisted Bamba come through at least an under-23s game before he is considered for first-team action and yesterday he was selected for the young Bluebirds’ 2-0 win against Colchester United for his first outing in eight months.
This, in all likelihood, means Bamba will not be in contention for tonight’s encounter with Millwall, but it could well put him in the fray for Sunday’s south Wales derby clash against bitter rivals Swansea City.
While Sean Morrison and Aden Flint have struck up a solid partnership at the heart of the Bluebirds’ defence, it is difficult to envisage a time whereby Warnock would consign fan favourite Bamba to the bench – especially for a fixture of Sunday’s magnitude.
It certainly throws up something of a selection dilemma for the Cardiff boss, especially as Bamba will be desperate to be involved. And there were other familiar faces in the under-23s squad, too.
Will Vaulks’ inclusion ultimately spelt the end for his chances to play against Millwall, too.
In many ways, tonight’s fixture might have represented the perfect opportunity to introduce Vaulks back into the fold.
Since August 18, the Wales international, who was bought from Rotherham for £2m this summer, has played just one minute of Championship football and Warnock has said previously that the player is understandably frustrated by the situation.
But with three games in nine days, it might just have been the right time for one of Joe Ralls, Marlon Pack and Leandro Bacuna to have been afforded a break before Sunday’s match at the Liberty Stadium.
It now appears, however, that at least two of those three will have to start at The Den, perhaps even all three unless Warnock throws one of Lee Tomlin or Callum Paterson into the mix.
Jazz Richards, meanwhile, also made his first appearance of the season, lining up at right back against the U’s.
The Welshman has also not featured this season owing to a number of injuries and setbacks he has sustained.