ANOTHER MISERABLE SEASON FOR CARDIFF CITY AND THEIR FANS
By Glen Williams
A woeful Cardiff City display rounded off what has been a truly dreadful season all round as the Bluebirds were battered 3-0 by Burnley at Turf Moor on the final day.
The gulf in class between a team who might have been relegated were it not for Reading's points deduction and a side that has romped to the Championship title was as glaring as it was painful for the travelling fans adorned in fancy dress.
Cardiff barely lay a glove on Burnley, who ran rings around the visitors as they banged in three goals and left more than that out there.
Josh Brownhill and Ashley Barnes - on his final Clarets appearance - handed the hosts a healthy half-time lead, before Josh Twine netted a lovely free-kick just after the break to make sure of the three points.
Lamouchi rang some changes, including re-introducing Ryan Allsop in goal and handing Rubin Colwill his first start under him.
But it was always going to be a tough ask for the Bluebirds, going up against a rampant Burnley side who have romped away with the league - and so it proved in the early exchanges.
Barnes, on his last game for the Clarets, was desperate to get on the scoresheet and essentially fired on sight of the goal.
But, in truth, it was Cardiff who probably had the best of the early chances, when Mahlon Romeo chopped inside into the penalty area to lay-off Rubin Colwill, but the Welshman didn't connect with his shot from 12 yards out well enough and the chance was spurned.
Chances were few and far between for Cardiff after that for a period - with Jaden Philogene looking a little off colour with a number of poorly-struck shots straight at Arijanet Muric in the Burnley goal.
The manner of Burnley's opener perfectly summed up Cardiff's season. Andy Rinomhota appeared to be pushed over as he ran back towards his own goal. The ball looked to be dribbling out - but as Rinomhota hit the deck, he inadvertently kept the ball in play. Josh Brownhill was the beneficiary as he tapped home from Anass Zaroury's cross. Cardiff's players, however, were furious.
They couldn't complain too much with the second goal, however, with Brownhill's cross appearing to be an easy one for Romeo to deal with, but the right back chested the ball straight into Barnes' path and the frontman got the goal he so desperately craved as he blasted a half volley past Allsop from point-blank range.
Burnley could have been three up straight after the restart when Twine beat the offside trap to find himself through on goal with only Allsop to beat. The forward, however, made a real hash of it and belted it over the bar - much to the Turf Moor faithful's dismay.
He wouldn't have to wait long to get on the scoresheet, though. Joe Ralls, who was brought on at half time, fouled him in a perfect position, just outside the box and dead centre. Twine stepped up and lifted it over the wall and into City's net for a third. If there was ever any hope of coming back into this one, that goal made it vanish.
Cardiff did look more likely to score when Sory Kaba came on. The forward spun his man and let off a shot from 20 yards which sailed over the bar, before a far more dangerous chance presented itself to him when Mark McGuinness headed a cross back into his path - but the forward's shot was saved well by Muric.
All told, though, Cardiff were poor. For as good as Burnley were, the Bluebirds allowed them to be that good.
If Vincent Tan was watching that - or indeed the whole season - he must see what all City fans see, this squad needs some serious, serious work in the summer if it is to be competitive at this level. Fail to do that and another season of misery and firefighting will surely follow.
Burnley XI: Muric; Roberts, Harwood-Bellis, Al-Dakhil (Taylor 82), Maatsen; Cullen (Cork 70), Brownhill, Gudmundsson (Tella 70); Twine, Zaroury (Vitinho 82), Barnes (Rodriguez 76).
Subs: Peacock-Farrell, Foster.
Cardiff City XI: Allsop; Ng, McGuinness, Simpson; Romeo (Harris 64), Wintle, Rinomhota, Ojo (Davies 46); Colwill (Ralls 46), Philogene (King 87), Wickham (Kaba 64).
Subs: Luthra, Bagan.
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