by Forever Blue » Sun Jul 23, 2017 11:18 am
Bideford beat Cardiff City side in pre-season friendly
By Matt Smart
The Robins overcame a Bluebirds U23 side at the Sports Ground on Saturday
Bideford’s old and new combined for an impressive pre-season win against a Cardiff City side this afternoon (Saturday).
The Robins picked up a surprising, but well-earned 2-1 win over the Bluebirds in their fifth pre-season match.
Summer recruit Ryan Turner and veteran Kevin Squire scored goals in the first half before Ibrahim Meite pulled one back late in the game for Cardiff’s predominantly U23 side.
Meite’s spot-kick was their second of the game, with Joe Moore keeping out a Jamie Veale penalty on the stroke of half-time.
On paper, Bideford’s team were far from full-strength. Triallist Scott Beattie came in for James Mayne – who was getting married; Sean Downing was playing on trial at Torquay United, and Craig Allan, Steve Oliver and Matt Bye were also missing.
It didn’t matter though. Turner opened the scoring with just three minutes on the clock. The striker was first to react when Ollie Byrne parried Sol Wheatley’s shot, and stroked the ball home to give the Robins the lead.
Squire doubled the lead 18 minutes later with a well-taken header. The forward met Billy Tucker’s cross from the left flank at the back post and headed back across the face of the goal, with the ball settling in the far corner.
The lead was no more than Bideford deserved in a first half that saw them get on the front foot and stay there.
Squire, Tucker, Turner and Wheatley combined well throughout the first half, and performances from Brian Levien, Dan Western and Craig Veale in the second half will give manager Sean Joyce plenty to think about before the Evo-Stik League South West season gets underway.
Cardiff were given a lifeline on the cusp of half-time, when Cameron Coxe was brought down inside the box and referee Brett Huxtable pointed to the spot.
Jamie Veale stepped up, and although his penalty was well-struck, Moore was equal to it. The keeper, who saved more than once for the Robins last season, got down low to his right to keep it out.
With his side 2-0 down, Cardiff manager Neil Warnock moved from the stands to the touchline for the second half, but the Bluebirds were unable to find a breakthrough.
They finally got their goal with six minutes of the 90 remaining when Marco Weymans was upended during a brilliant solo run.
Moore again dived to his right, but Meite’s spot kick was already in the roof of the net.
Bideford manager Sean Joyce said the win was something of a surprise.
Bideford v Cardiff City. Picture: Matt SmartBideford v Cardiff City. Picture: Matt Smart
“I wrote the team out last night and we were young and inexperienced and one or two boys have come in as triallists,” he said.
“Did I fear for us? A little bit. I felt we could have got embarrassed a little bit, but it’s surprised me and given me a headache really.
“With seven or eight first-teamers missing, I thought we played on the front foot, we were positive and we were brave.
“The two young lads in the middle of the park were different class, Max [Smallcombe] and Louis [Roberts]. The pair got around the pitch well and with a top four of Squiresy, Billy, Sol and Turner. The movement and pace gave them a platform to play off.”
Bideford’s pre-season continues on Tuesday night when they travel to Buckland Athletic.
Bideford: Moore, Sampson, Reed, Roberts, Beattie, Harrison, Smallcombe, Wheatley, Squire, Tucker, Turner. Subs: Veale, Levien, Western, Butcher, Joyce.
Cardiff City: Byrne, Coxe, John, Hawkinson, Young, Knox, Morris, Mullin, Harris, Meite. Subs: Humphries, Duffy, Waite, Duffus, Weymans.
- Attachments
-
- image-3.jpg (128.48 KiB) Viewed 966 times