Cardiff City look to have found missing link at last after Carling Cup win over Crystal Palace

It was in 2003 when Cardiff were last celebrating in the streets of the Welsh capital. A single goal from Andy Campbell elevated the club in to the Championship and gave rise to talk of a new era. Sadly, since that red letter day at the Millennium Stadium, the club have fallen at the final hurdle on too many occasions to remember. “Close, but no cigar,” was how the club’s fanzine summed up the past few seasons in the summer.

As Swansea, the arch enemy from along the M4, have prospered on the back of a courageous, often audacious approach, so Cardiff have been burdened by a lack of self-belief. Yes, you can forgive the FA Cup final defeat at the hands of then Premier League Portsmouth, even the Championship play-off final loss against Blackpool 18 months ago. However, they blew the chance of reaching the Championship play-offs on the final day of the 2008-09 season, went down to Reading in last season’s play-off semi-final and have on three separate occasions in the past eight years, thrown away a decent start to the season by losing their poise after Christmas.

Of course, nobody expects them to lift the Carling Cup at the expense of Premier League opposition next month. Still, having secured their passage through to the final in such dramatic circumstances, there are definite signs of that missing ingredient.

Under the guidance of Malky Mackay, Cardiff are not only courageous, but play with a resilience born out of Mackay’s own fierce reputation as a player. Although the names of Blake, Turner, Conway, Hudson, Mason and Taylor are hardly of the household variety, collectively, there is a work ethic and a craving for success that has restored the faith of those long-suffering fans.

Kenny Miller was the one signing that made the locals sit up and take note. His pedigree is second to very few in the Championship and his goal-scoring exploits are vindication of Mackay’s decision to relocate the Scotland striker from Bursaspor in Turkey to south Wales. Above all, Miller’s desire to win has rubbed off on the younger, less experienced members of Mackay’s threadbare squad. Together the Scots make a good pair. “I think we’ve got bottle,” said Miller.

The focus now is back on the club’s promotion bid and Tuesday’s trip to second-placed Southampton. “That game is far bigger for us than the Cup, no doubt about it,” added Miller. “The league is our bread and butter and we’re going for promotion.”

Wembley in February and promotion in May would certainly sit well with the club’s Malaysian owners who have remained in the background throughout the first half of the season.

Crystal Palace depleted ahead of Carling Cup semi-final, first leg against Cardiff City as seven players contract virus

A debilitating virus is affecting as many as seven of the squad ahead of Tuesday night’s semi-final first leg against Cardiff City, with manager Dougie Freedman intending to wait until 5pm before selecting his team. Conventional training on Monday was cancelled and the players instead worked in small groups.

“There is no improvement and hopefully it’s not going to get any worse,” Freedman said. “It’s not a cold, it’s not a throat infection, it’s just making them weak inside. We’ve done everything we can to stop it but it has spread.”

Among those infected so far are Nathaniel Clyne, Anthony Gardner, Julián Speroni, Mile Jedinak and Sean Scannell, although Freedman expects Speroni, his goalkeeper, to play. “I’m dreading the phone call that somebody new has got it,” Freedman said.

However, he stressed that uncertainty rather than any lack of faith in his young players bothered him. The Carling Cup represents a coming of age for a team that have eliminated Premier League opposition in Wigan and Manchester United.

It has also increased interest in an outstanding crop of home-grown players, notably Clyne, Scannell, John Williams and Wilfried Zaha.

Freedman confirmed informal discussions with other managers, with Manchester United understood to be interested in Clyne and Liverpool and Newcastle both closely monitoring Zaha. Freedman stressed that it would be in his players’ interests to develop further with Palace.

“I’m not here to stop any kids from moving on. What I am trying to do is produce them and keep them here for a little bit longer than we have done,” he said. “Wayne Routledge, Ben Watson and Victor Moses jumped a bit too soon. Therefore, they are now average Premier League players when they could maybe have done a little bit longer here. A couple of hundred games in the Championship really puts you in good stead.”