Cardiff City's final pre-season game ended in a drab goalless draw against Wycombe Wanderers.
Wycombe 0 Cardiff City 0
By Glen Williams
Neither side created enough to win it, although a last-minute Dimitrios Goutas goal-line clearance was arguably the biggest opportunity both sides had.
Both teams were gathered to show their appreciation for Bluebirds academy graduate and Wycombe legend Joe Jacobson, who starts his testimonial season.
However, it wasn't the most riveting of games to mark the occasion, with chances for both sides extremely hard to come by for the majority of the first half.
Sheyi Ojo did provided some early promise for the visitors, though, when he cut out an errant pass from a Wanderers defender before jinking inside and smacking an effort on goal, however it was comfortably tipped wide by Max Stryjek.
Most of the first half saw City try to build-up patiently, but lack that killer instinct when it mattered. How often have we said that in recent years?
Wycombe had fleeting moments on the break, but Cardiff dealt with the threat fairly comfortably. The only time Ryan Allsop was troubled was when Dale Taylor's shot deflected off Dimitrios Goutas just inside the City box, but Cardiff's keeper held on comfortably.
Aaron Ramsey, on his first start in his most recent stint as a Bluebird, donned the arm band and provided some moments of excitement. His one-two with Ike Ugbo just before the half-time break preceded a first-time shot which forced Stryjek into a fairly easy save. A fairly forgettable first 45 minutes was then brought to an end.
City rang the changes a little just after half time and Callum Robinson, one of those who was brought in, architected the Bluebirds' first big chance of the half when he played a brilliant ball down the line for Karlan Grant. The winger cut in and let a venomous shot fly, but Stryjek was equal to it.
The game was reduced to few chances later on. Another City sub, Kion Etete, lashed one half-cleared corner towards goal, which was smartly blocked by a Chairboys defender, but Wycombe had the biggest opportunity to win it.
A poor pass from Andy Rinomhota gifted the ball to Tjay De Barr, who had only Jak Alnwick to beat. The goalkeeper got a foot on it, but it took a fantastic, acrobatic clearance from Goutas to stop the ball going into City's net.
Ollie Tanner and Kieran Evans came on and they hardly touched the ball.
Cardiff need more in the final third, that much is evident, and something City will have to address going into the big show against Leeds United next Sunday.
Wycombe Wanderers XI: Stryjek, Grimmer, Jacobson (Forino 60), Breckin (Scowen 76), Leahy (Woodhouse 89), Boyes (Low 66), Keogh, Hanlan (De Barr 76), Potts (Young 76), Taylor (McCleary 60), Vincent-Young (Vokes 76).
Subs: Shala.
Cardiff City XI: Allsop (Alnwick 54); Ng (Romeo 72), Goutas, Simpson (Benjamin 82), O'Dowda (Collins 72); Wintle, Adams (Rinomhota 62), Ramsey (Robinson 62); Ojo (Tanner 72), Grant (Evans 72), Ugbo (Etete 72).
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