Finally it’s over. 51 years of mainly poor and mediocre football at Ninian Park splattered with a few seasons of highs and promotions from lower leagues. A First Division play-off win against Queens Park Rangers a decade ago was the genesis of todays promotion party. Strangely enough the Bluebirds will replace the R’s in the Premier League this coming season. Yes, two losing cup finals were days to be proud of. A play-off loss to Blackpool the toughest loss of all. But when you count losses amongst your good times you know the cupboard has been bare.
I’m not knocking Lenny Lawrence’s team, Eddie May’s wizards, Jimmy Andrews’s ball players or Len Ashurst’s classy contenders. Jimmy Scoular brought European nights of glory beating no less than Real Madrid at the old lady, Ninian Park. If you’re ancient enough, like me, you might even have watched the City in the old First Division (the current Premier League). There were great days when we defeated the double winning give-and-go Tottenham Hotspur 3-2 and I remember my first away trip which was to a now demolished Highbury Stadium to watch Derek Tapscott return with the Bluebirds to face his old Gunners team. We drew 1-1. How high would we would jump for joy if we achieved those two results next season. Even that was soured with relegation.
My 50+ years have been filled with many happy memories but so many more awful ones, so many relegations and poor performances. I remember the day my father gave in. During an old Second Division game he watched a player who shall remain nameless, a Welsh international striker, a young lad, balloon one too many shots over the old Canton Stand and guffawed, “If that’s what we have and that is a Welsh international then I’ve had enough’. He never bought another season ticket, he stopped selling the old BIF and BAF fundraiser tickets and spent his time watching footie on the telly from his armchair. He was one of the missing thousands who never returned. He watched a promotion game every once in a while but the love affair was over. He’d truly been cheated the day John Toshack had been sold to Liverpool and with it Cardiff’s promotion back to the top flight.
But enough of the reminiscence. It’s all about the future now. Cardiff have Championship title to claim, some real silverware to grace the boardroom. It’s cost our combined current and previous owners something like 80 million pounds to purchase this promotion. Sure, there’s much more than that to collect from the season ahead but still a precarious financial minefield to diffuse. Let’s hope our glorious leadership from Vincent Tan to Malky Mackay can negotiate it. It wasn’t so long ago that Portsmouth were winning the FA Cup.
But for now let’s enjoy the moment and prepare for the title that beckons, the promotion point has been proven.