CARDIFF CITY 2-2 COVENTRY CITY WED MAR 21 At Cardiff City Stadium
City: Murphy, Keogh, Clarke, Cranie (Hussey 87), Cameron, Clingan, Thomas (Deegan 87), Norwood, Nimely, McDonald (Platt 70), McSheffrey. SNU Dunn, Christie.
Cardiff City:Marshall, McNaujghton, Taylor, Hudson, Turner, Cowie, Lawrence (Earnshaw 72), Mason, McPhail (Gestede 57), Gunnarsson, Whittingham. SNU Heaton, Conway, Blake.
HT CCFC 1-0 CCFC FT CCFC 2-2 CCFC ATT 20,564
Referee B.Madley. Assts J.Ferries & A.Hendley:
Booked Gunnarsson
Goals Cody McDonald (OG 16), Jordan Clarke (67), Peter Whittingham (83), Oliver Norwood (90 +4)
Man Of The Match - Oliver Norwood with nominations for Jordan Clarke and Joe Murphy.
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CITY SUPPORT: 247 hundred hardy souls including some good mates from South Wales were at the City of Cardiff Stadium and in good voice.
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CITY TEAM NEWS: Andy Thorn made two changes from the team that drew at Watford with Conor Thomas and Cody McDonald coming into the side.
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DIRECTOR WATCH: :John Clarke, Tim Fisher and Justin Tose were present.
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Coventry City came back to snatch a point in a dramatic game at Cardiff City.
Following Tuesday night's results, the need for the first Coventry City away victory of the season was even more important.
On a ground which is a massive change from the daunting atmosphere of the late Ninian Park on which now stands a housing estate and stewarded with very friendly and decent stewards who even handed out team-sheets, City took to the field in their Sky Blue home kit.
Not many Cardiff fans were confident of a victory before the game and manager Malky McKay had even asked the fans for patience but there was plenty of smiles as the home side which included former Sky Blues Ben Turner and Aron Gunnarsson who were well applauded by the City support, had the better of the opening exchanges.
They might have had a fifth minute penalty when Richard Keogh was seen to make a push but not by the referee and six minutes later, Gunnarsson went very close from a McPhail ball.
Oliver Norwood sent a free kick over before Nimely lost the ball, won it back but could only muster a tame effort, which went wide.
In the 16th minute, referee Mr Madley gave Cardiff a dubious corner. Liam Lawrence took the flag kick and up went Ben Turner who headed the ball on to Cody McDonald who nodded it into his own net.
Cardiff were given way too much room in midfield by the Sky Blues, with Lawrence, Macphail and Gunnarsson, all able to spray the ball around, putting pressure on the City defence. This led to Joe Murphy having to head a Keogh clearance off his own goal-line.
McSheffrey and Norwood both missed the target whilst at the other end, Murphy saved from Gunnarsson as the Sky Blues went into the break behind.
The riot act or some very strong words must have been used at the interval by Andy Thorn and Steve Harrison as the Sky Blues came out fired up.
Cardiff won a corner straight away but City went up the other end and Cody McDonald somehow missed with a 49 seconds in header from a Jordan Clarke cross.
Four minutes later and Coventry won a corner. Richard Keogh was pushed off the ball and the referee pointed to the spot. Aron Gunnarson, who had shoved Keogh, was booked for protesting and this gave Gary McSheffrey who had been waiting with the ball on the spot, probably too much time to think about his kick as he blasted it over the bar.
Marshall pushed away a Clingan free kick and beat away a McSheffrey shot as the chant of "C'mon City" boomed out of the away end.
McSheffrey had one more chance, smacking the crossbar from 23 yards before the City support went absolutely mental in the 68th minute when Jordan Clarke got the ball on the right. He got round a marker and then got the ball inside the area and drilled it past Marshall to score a terrific goal that matched his performance before running over to the jubilant City support close to the corner flag.
Thorn sent on Clive Platt in place of McDonald as both sides created chances. However, in the 83rd minute, a long ball was launched forward and nodded down into the path of former Coventry schoolboy Peter Whittingham who volleyed past Murphy from twenty yards.
Martin Cranie making a good tackle left him having to be replaced by Chris Hussey and Gary Deegan came on as four minutes of stoppage time were shown by the fourth official and announced by the stadium announcer in Welsh and then English.
We had got to the fourth minute, some City supporters were starting to leave, thinking that this was another away defeat. Then the ball came over to Oliver Norwood some twenty five or so yards out. The loanee from Manchester United did not hit the ball particularly well but Marshall was nowhere near it and the ball hit the back of the net to give City their fifth point of the season and keep their run of being unbeaten in March in Wales since 1957 going, along with their hopes of avoiding relegation.