By Robert Nisbet
There was a real buzz at the Conygar Bridge Meadow on Tuesday night as a large crowd watched an accomplished new Bluebirds side play out a very good draw against a strong Cardiff City team.
Both players and spectators showed a real sense of unity and enthusiasm as a very hard-fought game went down to a competitive last 10 minutes in which the Blues were pushing forward for a winner.
A real highlight of the Bluebirds’ game was the level of commitment and skill they offered in midfield, where we saw excellent displays from Chris O’Sullivan (captain for the night and seeming to thrive on it), the industrious Gary Taylor, whose ball-skills and passing look better with each game, and the ex-Newcastle Emlyn player, Alec Squires. But since all 17 players who appeared for the Blues played so well, it does seem a time to respect the old cliché about not singling too many of them out.
Nicky Woodrow blasted over early on after a clever dart and dribble by Taylor, and Woodrow, involved throughout in a very physical tussle with City’s big centre back Josh Yourth, continued to chase. Cardiff took the lead though in the 35th minute when the accomplished midfielder Joe Rolls curled a free kick around a defensive wall and Josh Powell headed in at the far post.
The Bluebirds’ 55th minute equalizer was maybe even better, as a move started by O’Sullivan in his own half saw the ball played down the middle to Richie Ryan whose neat lay-off sent Woodrow through to hammer in low and left-footed.
Then, just one minute later, as if laying down a marker for the season to come, Woodrow pulled off a tremendous deep lob from fully 40 yards out, for the stranded keeper to watch it graze the outside of the post on its way past the goal. It may have been a measure of how rattled Cardiff were now looking that when their midfielder Gethyn Hill tried a similar lob, another minute later, it floated very feebly out of play near the corner flag.
County: Martin Langdon, Dan Peters, Dave Evans, Phil Cattlin, Kristian Griffiths, Anthony Owens, Chris O’Sullivan, Gary Taylor, Richie Ryan, Nicky Woodrow, Richie Lewis.
Subs: Matthew Ellis, James Manson (G/K), Jay Brockway, Nathan Evans, Gethin Roberts. Alec Squires, Simon Gilderdale.
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