Cardiff are four points clear at the top of the Championship, with a game in hand, but fans who have become used to the label Cardiff Chokers were starting to wonder if history was about to repeat itself and promotion would slip through Welsh butterfingers for the fifth season in a row when, in the second minute of stoppage time, the substitute Rudy Gestede headed home a restorative equaliser. Michael Keane's own headed goal, in the 72nd minute, appeared to have revived Leicester's hopes of going up but Gestede's last-gasp strike left them as deflated as Cardiff were relieved.
Neither team have been convincing of late, Cardiff arriving with four points from their previous four matches and Leicester, who were second in January, sliding into freefall with one win in their last eight. The Championship frontrunners, held to a draw at home by Derby last week, were strengthened by the return of their captain, Mark Hudson, in central defence but his regular partner, Ben Turner, had injured an ankle in training, which meant that 20-year-old Ben Nugent kept his place, this time partnering Hudson.
Craig Bellamy, rested last week, returned on the bench, with Tommy Smith pushing forward from midfield to partner Fraizer Campbell in attack and Craig Noone filling the vacancy on the right flank. Bellamy's omission from the starting lineup was puzzling, given the importance of the fixture, and became even more so the longer the match went on.
Injury deprived Leicester of their first choice full-backs, Ritchie de Laet and Paul Konchesky, who were replaced respectively by Sean St Ledger and Jeffrey Schlupp. For Schlupp it was back to reality after his trial spell with Manchester United.
Leicester were first into their stride, the prolific Wood testing David Marshall with a shot he could only parry. The loose ball fell to Lloyd Dyer, whose follow up was blocked.
Cardiff started poorly. Manager and players alike claim they are unaffected by promotion collywobbles, but there was a nervousness among the home crowd that seemed to be matched on the pitch. Their only goal attempt in the first half-hour was a back-header from Nugent, comfortably saved by Kasper Schmeichel, who once spent a season on loan in the Welsh capital. As has been the case for some weeks, Peter Whittingham was again out of sorts, and without their midfield playmaker in dictatorial form Cardiff resemble anything but a top-of-the-table team. Campbell, always a potential matchwinner at this level, was feeding off scraps. Leicester were the likelier scorers throughout the first half, Dyer threatening on the left.
With a nice sense of the appropriate, the public address announcer played Bob Marley's "Lively Up Yourself" during the interval. Less whimsically, Malky Mackay made two substitutions, sending on Bellamy and Kevin McNaughton in place of Noone and Hudson, whose ankle injury had flared up again. In the consequent reshuffle, McNaughton went to right-back with Matt Connolly moving into the centre of defence in place of the stricken captain. Bellamy partnered Campbell up front, with Smith switching to right midfield.
It was Leicester, however, who resumed the offensive, Richie Wellens and Chris Wood combining well, and only McNaughton's last-ditch intervention prevented a goal. For Cardiff their longest-serving player, McNaughton, soon caught the eye, winning the ball in midfield to send Smith away on the right, from where he provided an inviting cross to the far post. Campbell reached it, but his glancing, headed contact was insufficient to test Schmeichel. Wood, put through by David Nugent, would have opened the scoring in the 62nd minute but for the sort of one-on-one save which could see Marshall return in goal for Scotland for their forthcoming World Cup qualifiers. Nigel Pearson, convinced that Leicester could gain a revitalizing win, sent on an extra forward, Harry Kane, in place of Richie Wellens.
Still Leicester were the better team, and after Keane had headed firmly against Marshall's left-hand upright from a Drinkwater corner, Cardiff failed to clear their lines and conceded the first goal. St Ledger crossed from the right and this time Keane timed his run to perfection to score with another header, from five yards.
The home crowd were as silent as condemned men. As against Derby, however, Cardiff prised a point from the jaws of defeat, Gestede equalising with a header from Andrew Taylor's left-wing cross in added time. Reported by guardian.co.uk 3 days ago.
Neither team have been convincing of late, Cardiff arriving with four points from their previous four matches and Leicester, who were second in January, sliding into freefall with one win in their last eight. The Championship frontrunners, held to a draw at home by Derby last week, were strengthened by the return of their captain, Mark Hudson, in central defence but his regular partner, Ben Turner, had injured an ankle in training, which meant that 20-year-old Ben Nugent kept his place, this time partnering Hudson.
Craig Bellamy, rested last week, returned on the bench, with Tommy Smith pushing forward from midfield to partner Fraizer Campbell in attack and Craig Noone filling the vacancy on the right flank. Bellamy's omission from the starting lineup was puzzling, given the importance of the fixture, and became even more so the longer the match went on.
Injury deprived Leicester of their first choice full-backs, Ritchie de Laet and Paul Konchesky, who were replaced respectively by Sean St Ledger and Jeffrey Schlupp. For Schlupp it was back to reality after his trial spell with Manchester United.
Leicester were first into their stride, the prolific Wood testing David Marshall with a shot he could only parry. The loose ball fell to Lloyd Dyer, whose follow up was blocked.
Cardiff started poorly. Manager and players alike claim they are unaffected by promotion collywobbles, but there was a nervousness among the home crowd that seemed to be matched on the pitch. Their only goal attempt in the first half-hour was a back-header from Nugent, comfortably saved by Kasper Schmeichel, who once spent a season on loan in the Welsh capital. As has been the case for some weeks, Peter Whittingham was again out of sorts, and without their midfield playmaker in dictatorial form Cardiff resemble anything but a top-of-the-table team. Campbell, always a potential matchwinner at this level, was feeding off scraps. Leicester were the likelier scorers throughout the first half, Dyer threatening on the left.
With a nice sense of the appropriate, the public address announcer played Bob Marley's "Lively Up Yourself" during the interval. Less whimsically, Malky Mackay made two substitutions, sending on Bellamy and Kevin McNaughton in place of Noone and Hudson, whose ankle injury had flared up again. In the consequent reshuffle, McNaughton went to right-back with Matt Connolly moving into the centre of defence in place of the stricken captain. Bellamy partnered Campbell up front, with Smith switching to right midfield.
It was Leicester, however, who resumed the offensive, Richie Wellens and Chris Wood combining well, and only McNaughton's last-ditch intervention prevented a goal. For Cardiff their longest-serving player, McNaughton, soon caught the eye, winning the ball in midfield to send Smith away on the right, from where he provided an inviting cross to the far post. Campbell reached it, but his glancing, headed contact was insufficient to test Schmeichel. Wood, put through by David Nugent, would have opened the scoring in the 62nd minute but for the sort of one-on-one save which could see Marshall return in goal for Scotland for their forthcoming World Cup qualifiers. Nigel Pearson, convinced that Leicester could gain a revitalizing win, sent on an extra forward, Harry Kane, in place of Richie Wellens.
Still Leicester were the better team, and after Keane had headed firmly against Marshall's left-hand upright from a Drinkwater corner, Cardiff failed to clear their lines and conceded the first goal. St Ledger crossed from the right and this time Keane timed his run to perfection to score with another header, from five yards.
The home crowd were as silent as condemned men. As against Derby, however, Cardiff prised a point from the jaws of defeat, Gestede equalising with a header from Andrew Taylor's left-wing cross in added time. Reported by guardian.co.uk 3 days ago.