Match Reports

A late goal from sub Kevin Thornton - his first for the club - gave us our first away points of the season in a terribly poor game at Hull.

It was a smash'n'grab visit to a team that have made an even worse start to the campaign than we have, and hopefully a result that will set us on our way towards better things.

New signing Kevin Kyle made his debut, but it was the first appearance of the season for Robert Page and his defensive authority that enabled us to keep the sheet clean and ultimately steal the winner.

Playing with an unusual back five, we seemed uncomfortable with the formation to begin with, and Hull created the first chances of the game, with Andy Dawson's deflected shot, and resultant corner giving us an early scare.

Later in the half, Andy Marshall had to make a save to keep it level, while a masterful inteception from Page amidst a goalmouth scramble kept it goalless, as the ball drifted across the face of our goal, with nobody getting on the end of it, thankfully.

At the other end, Stern John hit a shot straight at the keeper, and Kyle had a wayward header, but it was not a game full of goalscoring opportunities. And so, like all of our previous four games in the league, it was once again 0-0 at half-time!

From an entertainment perspective things didn't improve after the interval either. Following the debacle at Hereford, we were playing ultra-defensively, with Elliott Ward and Matt Heath really holding back, and the wing-backs only going forward on rare occasions too.

Sub Kevin Thornton came on to inject some pace, but the next real chance fell to Kevin Kyle: this was not a close-range header but a 25-yard screamer from the 'target man' that was pushed behind for a corner!

Much improved from Tuesday night, Marshall also made a save from a long-range effort, before Thornton popped up to score the winning goal.

A goal-kick from Marshall was headed back and forth inside the Hull half, before it fell to the feet of Thornton, who played a one-two with Kyle, and then broke through to curl the ball into the bottom-left corner of Myhill's goal.

It was slightly harsh on Hull, but then they did something similar last season, when they became the first visiting team to win at the Ricoh.

There were to be no further chances, and Thornton's historic first goal for the club turned out to be decisive. A great first three points on the road, and it's still only August!

For the first time ever, the Sky Blues were eliminated from the League Cup in the first round, after a humilating night at Edgar Street saw us thumped by minnows Hereford United.

The League Two outfit have traditionally specialised in Cup upsets, were ahead inside the first minute and never looked back. We were toothless upfront, and hapless at the back, and this will not only go down as not only a bad result but a poor performance.

If anything good can come out of this, it's that we might be able to sign hat-trick hero Stuart Fleetwood, because we seriously need someone who can actually score goals.

The home side's dream start came from the first attack - a long ball pumped forward bounced horribly for Elliott Ward, and the fleet-footed Fleetwood nipped in with just Matt Heath and Andy Marshall to beat, and sprinted on to poke the ball into the bottom left corner of the goal from inside the area.

In a ramshackle stadium we were struggling to get to grips with the game, and Fleetwood's pace made it a torrid night for our defence. Marshall had to save a long-range shot from Richard Rose, as the home side looked to build on their early momentum.

But we finally got a grip on the game on 16 minutes when Stephen Hughes hit the upright from 18 yards out. Had we scored then, it would probably have gone on to be a routine 3-1 or 4-1 win for us, but it was not to be.

Nor were things to be when Faysal El-Idrissi, making his first start for us, was brought down in the area, but no penalty was forthcoming. The Moroccan then tried a long-range effort which went narrowly wide.

As the half wore on it was frustrating that we had not drawn level. We were leaving gaps at the back, and Fleetwood twice broke through, but couldn't find the target.

A goal down at the interval, and something needed to change.

We started the second half reasonably well, with a half-chance for Stern John but still no sign of an obvious goal on the way.

Hereford were playing effectively on the counter-attack and showed no sign of sitting on their slender lead - a strategy that paid off when they made it 2-0 slightly against the run of play.

Like the first goal, it was another hopeful ball over the top that caught us out. Andy Whing failed to deal with the danger, and Marshall panicked and came off his line, which allowed Fleetwood to nip in and chip the ball into the empty net.

Could we come back in the remaining half-hour? It seemed a tall order, as we hadn't come from behind to win since a 3-2 victory over Tottenham in this competition 11 seasons ago.

But there was hope, as Dele Adebola, who had done very little thus far, found himself onside and with the Bulls keeper out of position, and chipped in a lovely strike from outside the area to give us a fighting chance.

Sadly it was not to last long, as Fleetwood grabbed his hat-trick shortly thereafter. Yet again there was confusion between defenders and goalkeeper, and the striker got away from Elliott Ward, avoided being brought down by Andy Marshall, and eventually tapped into an empty net from very close range.

It was sickening and embarassing, but obviously a party night for the Hereford fans who began to sing 'Championship? You're having a laugh' and 'You're Shit, and McSheffrey's gone' as the visiting fans began to leave.

The introduction of Kevin Thornton gave us a spark, while everyone tried to have a go from long-range. Marcus Hall came close to netting a spectacular goal. Colin Cameron and Chris Birchall both had efforts saved, and Adebola shot over several times.

But the comeback just wasn't on now, and late saves from Thornton and Hall ensured that Hereford wouldn't even need to endure some uncomfortable final moments.

It's a shocking Cup exit, and one that could even be the beginning of the end for Micky Adams if things don't improve soon.

Life without McSheffrey began in unconvincing fashion - our worst performance of the season so far, and a goalless derby draw in front of the cameras on a moist Friday evening.

In recent times a draw has been the best we could manage against Leicester, but the Ricoh faithful needed more at the end of a sorrowful week.

It was defences that came out on top, with Matt Heath the best performer against his former club as we failed to score for the third game in a row.

Micky Adams was forced to ring the changes, and the new-look 4-3-2-1 formation struggled to keep the ball early on, though Andy Whing stepped right back into the right-back role with ease, and looked hungry, having been given the opportunity.

The first chance of the game fell to Leicester front man Matt Fryatt, but Andy Marshall made a routine stop, and it wasn't until mid-way through the half that we had a chance of our own, Don Hutchison's free-kick saved well by the Foxes keeper.

Colin Cameron set up Chris Birchall for a reasonable effort, after doing really well to keep the ball in play, and there was another Hutch free-kick, but Leicester had more possession, and time and again, Matt Heath and Elliott Ward had to deal with the danger.

The half ended with a perilous goalmouth scramble, but Leicester failed to score, and it was a relief to get into half time with the score goalless.

Our rivals also started the second period strongly, with debutant Levi Porter having two chances to score, but missing horribly (for them). We then won a corner from which Heath very nearly buried a header.

Midfielder Faysal El-Idrissi was brought on for his debut, and the lively Moroccan lifted the home crowd with his creative play. He also tried a shot from about 45 yards, which would've been a very impressive goal, and wasn't all that far off the target.

Stern John mustered a couple of late efforts, and sub Ian Hume had a shot saved for Leicester at the other end, but it always looked like the game would end miserably goalless.

Keeping a clean sheet is a relatively rare accomplishment, but failing to score yet again is a cause of concern, particularly now that McSheffrey is gone.

We have several injuries, but bringing in firepower must be a priority for Micky Adams before the transfer window closes in just a couple of weeks time.

The 'Sky Reds' battled hard away from home, but came away with nothing for the second time in a week, in a scrappy and close encounter that added to our early season injury woes.

We kept an unchanged side for the third game in a row, an early attack saw Stern John pull a shot wide in the first minute, before the first injury hit us. New right-back David McNamee had been impressive in his first couple of outings, but a hamstring strain saw him replaced by loanee Adam Virgo very early on.

We still looked a strong side, despite the disruption, and Dele Adebola set up John for another effort in the 10th minute, before the farcial departure of sub right-back Virgo who went down under a challenge and didn't get up.

With things going from bad to worse, winger Jay Tabb came on for his debut, with Chris Birchall dropping to right-back, and the new formation gave Cardiff a chance to assert themselves for the first time, with Ledley's free-kick going just over the bar.

Mid-way through the half we seemed to have taken the lead from a Stephen Hughes corner, but Elliott Ward's thundering header hit the crossbar, bounced down on, or possibly over, the line, and was cleared by Kerrea Gilbert.

Perhaps affected by rumours about his future, Gary McSheffrey was having an off-day just as at Southampton in midweek, but he did manage a shot on target, forcing Alexander into a save. At the other end, Andy Marshall saved well from Michael Chopra, but overall we had been slightly the better side, and possibly should have gone in a goal up.

We had a couple of chances after the break, through John and Hughes, but the home side were looking increasingly dangerous at the other end. A goalmouth scramble saw Marshall save impressively from Chopra, and Marcus Hall clear an effort off the line from last season's loan signing Willo Flood.

Chopra was Cardiff's most dangerous player, and with 15 minutes to go, Marshall again denied him with a fine save, but there was no marking when Joe Ledley's cross found the former Newcastle striker at the far post, and he lashed in what would turn out to be the winner.

It was a harsh goal to inflict on us, as we deserved more from the game. In the dying moments, sub Don Hutchison set up Stern John for an equaliser, but the misfiring striker dragged his shot just wide of the post.

So it's no points and no goals from our first pair of away fixtures - a situation eerily similar to last season's poor form on the road.

The Sky Blues looked very impressive during an evenly-matched and highly entertaining game that was ultimately decided by two pieces of dreadful officiating.

For their first home game of the season, and with a new board in place, the Saints tried to create a party atmosphere, releasing balloons and wheeling out former manager Lawrie McNenamie and the old cunt from Eastenders. Like us, they are expecting big things this season.

But there was no sign that we were intimidated, as we completely dominated the opening exchanges, creating several chances, forcing multiple corners, and generally camping inside the Southampton half - in marked contrast to our start against Sunderland, despite fielding the same starting eleven.

Dele Adebola headed just wide, Stephen Hughes' curling shot was saved, and then Matt Heath had a goalbound headed blocked on the line.

Southampton played on the counter-attack, and Andy Marshall needed to save a header from Rasiak, after a quick break led to a dangerous cross.

It was now end-to-end, thrill-a-minute stuff. with strikers Stern John and Bradley Wright-Phillips both going close for their respective teams, before Adebola came closer than anyone thus far, hitting the post after a corner wasn't cleared.

The time flew by, and it was a miracle that the game had no goals, although Gary McSheffrey - still tipped to be heading to Birmingham anytime now - was having a below-par game, for him. At the end of the half, David McNamee had to make an excellent last-gasp challenge on Wright-Phillips who otherwise had only the keeper to beat.

At half-time it looked like this might be one of those goalless but entertaining games that you get once in a sky blue moon. But the referee had other ideas.

McNamee had to make a goalline clearance from a Wright-Phillips header early in the second half, while the ever-dominant Elliott Ward also needed to be on hand to head away a couple of dangerous corners.

A fair few free-kicks had been awarded in the first half, though none of them affected the course of the game, and when Micky Doyle seemed to routinely win the ball mid-way inside the Southampton half, and was judged to have fouled, it seemed to be another one of those annoying but unimportant things.

But 17-year-old Gareth Bale had other ideas, and scored directly from the 35-yard free-kick, to give the Saints a lead in impressive, though controversial fashion.

We tried to hit back, but the offside flag caught out John when he was one-on-one with Kelvin Davies, which was a real shame. Loan signing Adam Virgo was introduced for his Sky Blues debut, playing upfront, but did not look like strengthening the team, while Colin Cameron also came on for his full debut.

Bale had another free-kick for Southampton, but this time Marshall made a brilliant save, preventing another spectacular goal.

We strung some quality moves together, but a finishing touch was lacking, and when Stephen Hughes singled handedly beat three players, but dragged his cross-cum-shot across the face of goal, it looked like it might not be our day.

In the final five minutes it got worse as a penalty was awarded for a complete non-foul by Ward on Rasiak. The cheating diver got up to score from the spot and make it 2-0.

Still we had chances, and John should've given us a fighting chance with an immediate reply, but hit his shot into the Southampton keeper from point-blank range.

Most of the evening had been entertaining, so the final score, and particularly the manner of the goals, was a big disappointment.

But Southampton look to be one of the very best sides in the Championship, so perhaps in time this won't seem like such a bad result.

The Sky Blues began the new season as they started the old one - with a hard-fought victory at the Ricoh Arena - and were made to work hard by Sunderland in an even game.

With several Summer signings making their debut, the team took some time to gel, and struggled to hold onto the ball in the early stages as the visitors dominated possession.

The first good chance fell to Sunderland forward Daryl Murphy who headed just over the bar from point-blank range from a Tommy Miller cross.

That was something of a let-off, but there was little else to excite Sunderland who failed to capitalise on their dominance of possession.

Andy Marshall looked comfortable in goal, unafraid to come off his line and collect, while after some early minor mistakes, David McNamee and Chris Birchall showed themselves to be solid players at right-back and right-midfield respectively. As expected, Elliott Ward was commanding in central defence, and also delivered incisive long balls forward.

In the 12th minute Dele Adebola glanced a header just wide, and his size was causing problems for the Sunderland defence. Shortly afterwards a cross from Gary McSheffrey, playing wide on the left narrowly eluded Stern John.

We forced a serious of corners, with John and Matt Heath both going close with headers, but we struggled to find the target, until a close-range shot from John forced an expert save from Ben Alnwick.

We ended the half strongly, McSheffrey hit the post from a tight angle, and John went close after a long ball from Marcus Hall caught the Mackems defence napping.

Although we had been poor for the first ten minutes, and had made some sloppy mistakes in midfield, there had not been many chances for Sunderland, and we finished half so strongly that we probably should have gone into the break in front.

Like the first half, Sunderland came out stronger after the interval, and this time they scored from their early chance.

Our defending at a corner was poor, and amidst a goalmouth scramble, there was a shout for handball by Heath, which mattered not, as Daryl Murphy scored from close range to give the visitors a lead.

The game then turned ugly, with several players getting involved in a scuffle, and Stephen Hughes becoming the first player in the book for rebuking a Sunderland man who kept the ball in play following an injury to Birchall.

There was another chance for Stern John, before Micky Adams made his first substitution, replacing the hard working but mis-firing Adebola with Don Hutchison, the midfielder playing against one of his many former clubs.

The game looked a bit dead with 20 minutes to go, but John conjured an equaliser out of nothing, collecting a long-ball forward from Ward on the edge of the area, turning and curling a 20-yard beauty past Alnwick to make it 1-1.

The goal raised the spirits, on and off the pitch, and within a few minutes the turnaround was complete. A twice-taken free-kick on the left was played short to McSheffrey who sprinted past the defence, cut inside, and fired in a hard shot that took a slight deflection and went in to give us the lead.

There was no stopping us now. John really ought to have made it 3-1 but failed to connect from close range, and he missed another sitter in the dying moments.

Sunderland had opportunities from corners and free-kicks but really didn't look like scoring again, and we held on to record a confidence-boosting victory in the opening game.