Nicky Maynard returns?
As Cardiff fans still celebrate their Championship title success and promotion to the Premier League they can breath a massive sigh of relief knowing the dreaded last game of the season at Hull City is no more than a duty. A game that has haunted the fixture list for months will be no more than an end note, a full stop or an exclamation point to the storyline of a wonderful promotion season.
At least that’s true for the Bluebirds. Spare a thought for the rest. For the Tigers, the looming spectre of failure, of ‘doing a Cardiff’, is all to real. No goals and only one point from the last three games has given Watford hope that they can overtake the floundering Humberside team. By beating Hull’s bitter Yorkshire rivals Leeds United on the final day of the season Watford will ensure Hull must defeat the Champions if they are to retain second spot. Steve Bruce’s men have for so long, appeared to be set for the second automatic promotion spot but now, not so much.
Even defeat at home to Watford earlier this month never seemed to matter. Ginanfranco Zola’s loan-built outfit struggled themselves after that high point, losing to Peterborough and Millwall in succession before righting the ship against Blackburn Rovers by winning 4-0. Hull had recovered beating Middlesborough and Ipswich on the road and despite losing at Wolves were six points clear of Watford with just three games to go.
But April 13th proved to be the unlucky for Hull turning point. A scoreless home draw with bottom placed Bristol City followed the Wolves loss and then came the Barnsley upset, losing 2-0 at Oakwell against another Yorkshire rival. Watford’s humbling of Blackburn was followed by a hard-fought three points at Leicester and suddenly there was a glimmer of automatic promotion hope.
Neal Ardley
Watford must beat Leeds on Saturday and hope the Championship crowned Bluebirds can silence the roar of the KC faithful by avoiding defeat. Who would say this couldn’t happen. In fact you would probably bet on it is going to happen. Long time rivals, Hull and Leicester, the Tigers and the Foxes, seem likely to be ‘doing a Cardiff’ of their own and will likely be skulking into their dens to lick the wounds come Saturday night.
The great escape in League Two last week was managed by former Cardiff City youth academy director Neil Ardley who rescued AFC Wimbledon from a swift return to the Conference backwaters. There are omens all around, many resplendent in their irony. It’s that time of year.What about the League One penalty miss of the season where in the last-minute Brentford conspired against themselves to hit the crossbar and see the
Happy Brian Flynn
ball cleared and immediately dispatched upfield into their own goal, robbing them of automatic promotion and handing the title and the automatic prize to the former Cardiff City favorite, Brian Flynn now manager at Doncaster Rovers.
Is that League One I see
Ironically Donnie look likely to replace Wolves in the Championship as their former manager and Swansea Jack Dean Saunders prepares for a second relegation in succession having gone down with Doncaster in 2012. Saunders former assistant and Wales teammate Brian Flynn will certainly be having the last laugh as he prepares for life in the Championship. Iwonder what Saunders thinks about his January decision to jump ship from Yorkshire for the sinking Black Country vessel that is Wolverhampton Wanderers right now? I wonder what the Wolves fans think?
In the Championship finale, Cardiff boss Malky Mackay can hand automatic promotion to his former club Watford, if the stars align themselves correctly. It could be one Hull of a finish. I fully expect the Tigers to be leading into the final minutes of the season and Watford to be drawing. Then take the unlucky Nicky Maynard to net the leveler for Cardiff and a Leeds own goal to send Watford up and Hull to the play-offs. It just has to happen, doesn’t it?
Cardiff City News Views 