Pre-season friendly
By Robert Nisbet

The Bluebirds were very good value for a well-executed win against a strong Cardiff side of quick and skilful apprentice professionals. 
      After the single-goal win against West End on the Tuesday, Lee Idzi, in excellent form once again, kept the week’s second clean sheet, thanks to two fine and timely blocks. The defence was solid, and the midfield, building now around the effervescent Chris O’Sullivan, looked extremely good. Strikers Danny Thomas, Steffan Williams and Jack Christopher, on for the second half, kept the young City defence at full stretch.
      The opening minutes gave us a passing, sparring game until City had the first chance when Idzi produced the first of those fine blocks to thwart Kevin Saint-Luce, one of several French trialists in the Cardiff ranks. The next two big chances though were from the Bluebirds as keeper Ottley was at full stretch to tip over a rasping shot from Neil Thomas, and then a lovely four-man move down the left, prompted by the stylish Richard Evans and carried on by Lee Hudgell and Neil Thomas saw Williams just squeezed out.
     There was another exciting exchange of attacks just before half-time when Cardiff’s Jordan Jackson wriggled past the defence and drove against the post. But the riposte was as good, when a sudden break down the middle saw Ottley do very well once again to smother shots by Williams and Neil Thomas.
     Christopher, back from his holiday, came on after half-time and within a minute his nodded-on pass had nearly put Danny Thomas in. Christopher then headed wide from an O’Sullivan corner, before City’s next dangerous attack saw Mark Dodds have to scramble across to force a ball out for a corner.
      The winning goal was a good one. Danny Thomas slipped a fine ball behind the full back for Christopher to race in on goal. For just a second it looked as if he might have held on too long but he kept his cool and slipped a square ball to ‘Thommo’ for him to drive in.
     Cardiff battled to the very end, with some of their tackling keeping referee Alan Boswell’s whistle in brisk business. Their sub Josh Powell drove one 25-yarder just wide, but at the other end Tom Ramasut fed Danny Thomas, whose shot hit the side netting. And generally the Blues defence, marshalled so well again by the cool Lee Jarman, was equal to anything asked of it.

County: Lee Idzi; Kyle Graves, Richard Evans (Rhys Dalling, 82), Lee Jarman, Mark Dodds, Jamie Bradford, Chris O’Sullivan, Danny Thomas, Neil Thomas (Tom Ramasut, 70), Steffan Williams (Kristian Griffiths, 70), Lee Hudgell (Jack Christopher, 45).
Sub not used: Jack Jones