Woody
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 Posted: Sat Aug 26, 2006 3:18 pm Post subject: another win |
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Goals from Joe Ledley and Paul Parry sent Cardiff three points clear of Birmingham at the Coca-Cola Championship summit as they beat the Blues 2-0 at Ninian Park on Saturday lunchtime.
Highly-rated winger Ledley netted with a clinical 12th-minute strike before midfielder Parry sealed victory with 15 minutes remaining.
Bluebirds manager Dave Jones assembled a fine squad during the summer and the club's position at the top of the table is their highest since 1970.
And this latest victory - their fourth from five games - confirmed Cardiff's reputation as serious promotion contenders.
Birmingham had arrived in the Principality level on points and with the same goal difference as Cardiff after four matches.
Cardiff fans packed out Ninian Park and the top-of-the-table showdown was the first time the ground had sold out for a League game since the Bluebirds played Tottenham in 1961.
Buoyed by their large and vociferous support in a crowd of 20,109, the hosts made their intentions clear from the outset.
Striker Michael Chopra tested Birmingham goalkeeper Colin Doyle with a teasing shot from 18 yards but two minutes later Cardiff were ahead.
Kevin McNaughton hit a fierce right-foot shot from 12 yards which Doyle was forced to parry out for a corner.
Parry's quick thinking from the left saw him take a short corner and find the 19-year-old Ledley, who rifled home Parry's pass for his second goal of the season.
Moments later, Cardiff came desperately close to extending their lead when Doyle made another fine save from the impressive Stephen McPhail's dipping cross-shot.
There was precious little respite for Birmingham who, despite fielding a three-pronged attack of DJ Campbell, Nicklas Bendtner and Gary McSheffrey, made little headway during the opening period.
Striker Cameron Jerome, who joined Birmingham from Cardiff during the summer in a £3million move, was named among the substitutes and could only watch in frustration as the visitors faltered in attack.
Cardiff had further opportunities to extend their lead when the impressive Steven Thompson nodded over the bar and then tested Doyle from distance.
Birmingham began to pose more of an attacking threat after the restart and Campbell's strike forced Cardiff goalkeeper Neil Alexander into action after 50 minutes.
Three minutes later, though, the Bluebirds should have scored again when the lively Chopra crashed a right-foot shot against the bar from 12 yards.
Birmingham boss Steve Bruce withdrew Campbell shortly before the hour mark and replaced him with Jerome, who netted 20 goals for Cardiff last season.
The move was clearly designed to inject a greater attacking impetus into his side, and it almost paid off as Jerome narrowly missed the target from six yards shortly after his arrival.
McSheffrey then saw a 25-yard free-kick saved superbly by Alexander before David Dunn also tested Alexander from distance.
But, having soaked up the pressure, Cardiff hit the visitors with a classic counter-punch to seal victory and send Ninian Park wild.
The hard-running Thompson was the architect, his run and cross from the left being met by Parry who fired into the top corner from 12 yards for his first goal of the season.
The gap to me between Leeds and Cardiff will already take some making up. 
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