2008–09_Cardiff_City_F.C._season

2008–09 Cardiff City F.C. season

2008–09 Cardiff City F.C. season

Cardiff City 2008–09 football season

The 2008–09 season was Cardiff City's sixth consecutive year playing in the Football League Championship and their 82nd season playing in The Football League. It was also the club's final season playing at Ninian Park, their home ground since they had entered The Football League in 1920.[1]

Quick Facts Chairman, Manager ...

Season review

Events

Pre-season

Cardiff began their pre-season schedule with matches against Welsh sides Merthyr Tydfil and Carmarthen Town, with squads made up of first team players and youth players. Goals from Steve Thompson, Jon Brown and youth player Sol Taylor saw a 3–1 win over Merthyr and a hat-trick from Paul Parry along with one from Rhys Kelleher and an own goal saw the other match end in a 5–0 win for Cardiff.[4] Several days later, Cardiff flew out to Portugal to take part in the Algarve Cup, along with Middlesbrough, Celtic and Vitória de Guimarães. Before the tournament they played a warm-up match against Portuguese side Vitoria de Setubal which ended in a 1–1 draw.

Their Algarve Cup tournament began with a match against Vitória de Guimarães, coming away with a 2–0 win with both goals being scored by summer signing Ross McCormack. In the second and final game of the tournament they overcame Scottish Premier League champions Celtic 1–0 with Joe Ledley scoring the only goal as Cardiff came away as the tournament winners.[5] Returning to Britain, they played out a 1–1 draw with Swindon Town followed by a 0–0 draw with Dutch side Ajax in their first home pre-season tie. They finished their pre-season schedule with a friendly against Chasetown with a team made up of senior and youth players. The match finished 2–2 with goals from Paul Parry and trialist Wilson Oruma.[6]

League

Cardiff City playing against Nottingham Forest on 31 January

Cardiff opened their season with a home tie against Southampton, the first time they had been handed a home tie on the opening day of the season for eleven years, and went on to win 2–1 after a last minute winner by Roger Johnson.[7] Propelled by the goals of summer signing Ross McCormack, Cardiff did not suffer a defeat until their ninth league game of the season when they lost 2–1 to Birmingham City,[8] but they bounced back quickly with a 2–1 win over Coventry City[9] three days later and the sides form through October, three wins and two draws, saw manager Dave Jones awarded the manager of the month award.

A slump in form saw three defeats in the next four games but despite the loss of form the side remained in the play-off zone. During the poor spell, former player Michael Chopra returned on loan just over a year after leaving the club in a club record £5m sale to Sunderland,[10] converting a penalty on his debut in a 2–1 win over Crystal Palace on 15 November.[11] On 22 November, the second South Wales derby of the season took place, after an earlier meeting in the League Cup, with the match ending in a 2–2 draw with both sides being reduced to ten men due to red cards for Stephen McPhail and Darren Pratley.[12] The match was the second of what would become a three-month unbeaten spell which took the side through to the end of February without defeat until they lost 1–0 to Southampton,[13] a run which saw Cardiff rise to 4th place in the table.

The following game saw Cardiff win 3–1 against Barnsley, the first time in the season they had scored more than two goals in a single game. They went on to win 3 of their 6 matches in March before meeting local rivals Swansea City for the third time during the season on 5 April. The match ended in a 2–2 draw but was overshadowed by referee Mike Dean being struck by a coin thrown from the crowd.[14] The incident was condemned by chairman Peter Ridsdale and manager Dave Jones after the match.[15] Three consecutive wins for the side meant that with 4 games remaining they needed two points to secure a play-off place but they only managed one point during the final four games, in a 2–2 draw with Charlton Athletic, which would lead to them finishing in seventh place, missing out on a play-off spot to Preston North End on goals scored.[16]

Final league standings

Main article: 2008–09 Football League Championship
More information Pos, Pld ...
Updated to match(es) played on 3 May 2009. Source: The Football League
Rules for classification: 1) points; 2) goal difference; 3) number of goals scored.
(O) Play-off winners; (P) Promoted

Player presentations

As part of the celebrations of the club's final year at Ninian Park former players and staff of the club were presented to the crowd at half-time during various home matches throughout the season. At the end of the season all the players were invited back for the final game at the ground against Ipswich Town.[17] The date, opponent and people presented were:

League Cup

Cardiff began their League cup campaign away to League Two side Bournemouth, coming away with a 2–1 win with both goals scored by Paul Parry in the opening twelve minutes of the match.[22] After coming through the second round with a 2–1 home win over Milton Keynes Dons, Cardiff were handed a third round tie against local rivals Swansea City in the first South Wales derby to take place in nine years. A heated encounter saw Swansea come away with a 1–0 after a deflected free-kick, with Cardiff being reduced to ten men after Stephen McPhail saw red for two bookable offences.[23] After the match fans from both clubs clashed with police.[24]

FA Cup

Entering the competition in the third round, Cardiff's first match in the FA Cup came up against fellow Championship side Reading, with goals from Ross McCormack and Joe Ledley putting Cardiff through to the next round with a 2–0 win. In the fourth round Cardiff were handed a lucrative home tie against Premier League side Arsenal. The match, taking place in a packed Ninian Park, finished in a 0–0 draw. The replay, which was originally set to be played on 3 February but was postponed due to heavy snowfall,[25] took place on 16 February, ending in a 4–0 win for Arsenal.[26]

Kits

Supplier: Joma
Sponsor(s): Vansdirect.co.uk

Home
Home Alternate
Away
Alternative
Third Alternate

Last updated: 18 September 2012.
Source: Historical Football kits

Squad at end of season

Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.

More information No., Pos. ...

Detailed Overview

More information No., Name ...

Squad statistics

More information No., Pos ...
  • * Indicates player left club during the season.

Disciplinary record

More information Number, Pos ...

Contracts

More information N, Pos. ...

Transfers

In

More information No., Pos. ...

Loans in

More information No., P ...
Sources: For loan start source see "Start source". For loan end source see "End source".
EU = if holds or not a European Union passport; Country: when 2 flags, 1st flag = country that plays for internationally, 2nd flag = country of birth; No. = number on jersey; P = Position (for position name, pause mouse pointer on abbreviation); Name = Name on jersey (for more extensive name, pause mouse pointer on name); In/Out = In: The player came in on loan, Out: The player went out on loan; Loan club = the club that the player moved on loan to or the club that the player came from on loan; Started = the date when the player's loan started; Ended = the date when the player's loan ended.

Outs

More information N, P ...
EU = if holds or not a European Union passport; Country: when 2 flags, 1st flag = country that plays for internationally, 2nd flag = country of birth; N = number on jersey; P = Position (for position name, pause mouse pointer on abbreviation); Name = Name on jersey (for more extensive name, pause mouse pointer on name); Age = age on the day of the signing; Moving from = only indicate the club the player was playing before start playing for this club in this season, for the type of the moving see Status column; Moving to = only indicates the club the player is going to play next, for the type of the moving see Status column; Ends = when the player's current contract ends; n/a = Not applicable; Apps = Total number of competitive appearances (including substitute appearances) at the club prior to departure; Goals = Total number of competitive goals scored at the club prior to departure.

Loans Out

More information No., P ...
Sources: For loan start source see "Start source". For loan end source see "End source".
EU = if holds or not a European Union passport; Country: when 2 flags, 1st flag = country that plays for internationally, 2nd flag = country of birth; No. = number on jersey; P = Position (for position name, pause mouse pointer on abbreviation); Name = Name on jersey (for more extensive name, pause mouse pointer on name); In/Out = In: The player came in on loan, Out: The player went out on loan; Loan club = the club that the player moved on loan to or the club that the player came from on loan; Started = the date when the player's loan started; Ended = the date when the player's loan ended.

Fixtures & results

Results by round

More information Round, Ground ...
Source: [27]
A = Away; H = Home; W = Win; D = Draw; L = Loss

Pre-season friendlies

More information Date, Opponent ...

Championship

9 August 1 Cardiff City 2–1 Southampton Cardiff
15:00 Thompson 41'
R Johnson 90+1'		 Report 45' McGoldrick Stadium: Ninian Park
Attendance: 19,749
Referee: Scott Mathieson
16 August 2 Doncaster Rovers 1–1 Cardiff City Doncaster
15:00 Guy 67' Report 88' McCormack Stadium: Keepmoat Stadium
Attendance: 11,873
Referee: Mark Halsey
23 August 3 Cardiff City 2–2 Norwich City Cardiff
15:00 McCormack 3', 67' (pen.) Report 77', 81' Lupoli Stadium: Ninian Park
Attendance: 18,032
Referee: Anthony Taylor
30 August 4 Sheffield United 0–0 Cardiff City Sheffield
15:00 Report Stadium: Bramall Lane
Attendance: 29,226
Referee: Colin Webster
13 September 5 Cardiff City 0–0 Bristol City Cardiff
15:00 Report Stadium: Ninian Park
Attendance: 19,312
Referee: Peter Walton
16 September 6 Barnsley 0–1 Cardiff City Barnsley
19:45 Report 14' Whittingham Stadium: Oakwell
Attendance: 11,282
Referee: G Laws
20 September 7 Derby County 1–1 Cardiff City Derby
15:00 Albrechtsen 30' Report 69' (pen.) McCormack Stadium: Pride Park Stadium
Attendance: 28,007
Referee: Mark Haywood
27 September 8 Cardiff City 1–2 Birmingham City Cardiff
15:00 McCormack 86' Report 5' McFadden
41' Owusu-Abeyie		 Stadium: Ninian Park
Attendance: 18,304
Referee: Michael Jones
30 September 9 Cardiff City 2–1 Coventry City Cardiff
19:45 Bothroyd 31'
McCormack 85' (pen.)		 Report 89' Dann Stadium: Ninian Park
Attendance: 16,312
Referee: Roger East
4 October 10 Blackpool 1–1 Cardiff City Blackpool
15:00 Gow 90+5' Report 83' Parry Stadium: Bloomfield Road
Attendance: 7,328
Referee: Nigel Miller
18 October 11 Cardiff City 2–0 Charlton Athletic Cardiff
15:00 McCormack 18', 52' Report Stadium: Ninian Park
Attendance: 17,310
Referee: Kevin Friend
21 October 12 Watford 2–2 Cardiff City Watford
19:45 O'Toole 2'
Hoskins 24'		 Report 72', 75' Bothroyd Stadium: Vicarage Road
Attendance: 13,461
Referee: Richard Beeby
25 October 13 Nottingham Forest 0–1 Cardiff City Nottingham
15:00 Report 54' (pen.) McCormack Stadium: City Ground
Attendance: 19,468
Referee: Keith Stroud
28 October 14 Cardiff City 2–0 Blackpool Cardiff
19:45 Whittingham 83'
McCormack 86'		 Report Stadium: Ninian Park
Attendance: 17,570
Referee: Rob Shoebridge
1 November 15 Cardiff City 1–2 Wolverhampton Wanderers Cardiff
17:20 McCormack 19' Report 4' Iwelumo
8' Ebanks-Blake		 Stadium: Ninian Park
Attendance: 17,734
Referee: Stephen Tanner
8 November 16 Queens Park Rangers 1–0 Cardiff City London
15:00 Mahon 80' Report Stadium: Loftus Road
Attendance: 13,347
Referee: Lee Probert
15 November 17 Cardiff City 2–1 Crystal Palace Cardiff
15:00 Chopra 33' (pen.)
Ledley 53'		 Report 37' Scannell Stadium: Ninian Park
Attendance: 17,478
Referee: Jonathan Moss
22 November 18 Plymouth Argyle 2–1 Cardiff City Plymouth
12:45 Mpenza 39'
Gallagher 41'		 Report 62' Chopra Stadium: Home Park
Attendance: 11,438
Referee: Paul Taylor
25 November 19 Cardiff City 2–2 Reading Cardiff
19:45 Routledge 10'
McCormack 41' (pen.)		 Report 16' Doyle
50' Gunnarsson		 Stadium: Ninian Park
Attendance: 17,514
Referee: Peter Walton
30 November 20 Swansea City 2–2 Cardiff City Swansea
11:15 Pratley 19'
Pintado 61'		 Report 45' Ledley
48' (pen.) McCormack		 Stadium: Liberty Stadium
Attendance: 18,053
Referee: Martin Atkinson
6 December 21 Cardiff City 2–0 Preston North End Cardiff
15:00 R Johnson 42'
Chopra 76' (pen.)		 Report Stadium: Ninian Park
Attendance: 16,560
Referee: Andy D'Urso
9 December 22 Burnley 2–2 Cardiff City Burnley
19:45 Blake 14'
Thompson 76'		 Report 26' Bothroyd
47' Routledge		 Stadium: Turf Moor
Attendance: 11,230
Referee: Colin Webster
13 December 23 Ipswich Town 1–2 Cardiff City Ipswich
15:00 Stead 42' Report 9' Bothroyd
26' Gyepes		 Stadium: Portman Road
Attendance: 19,665
Referee: K Woolmer
20 December 24 Cardiff City 2–0 Sheffield Wednesday Cardiff
15:00 Johnson 49'
Chopra 65' (pen.)		 Report Stadium: Ninian Park
Attendance: 17,600
Referee: Kevin Friend
26 December 25 Reading 1–1 Cardiff City Reading
15:00 Federici 90+6' Report 89' Chopra Stadium: Madjeski Stadium
Attendance: 22,770
Referee: Andy Hall
28 December 26 Cardiff City 1–0 Plymouth Argyle Cardiff
15:00 Bothroyd 81' Report Stadium: Ninian Park
Attendance: 19,145
Referee: Stuart Attwell
17 January 27 Birmingham City 1–1 Cardiff City Birmingham
15:00 Bowyer 90+4' Report 61' Ledley Stadium: St Andrew's
Attendance: 19,853
Referee: Michael Jones
28 January 28 Coventry City 0–2 Cardiff City Coventry
19:45 Report 34' Bothroyd
61' McCormack		 Stadium: Ricoh Arena
Attendance: 14,922
Referee: Anthony Bates
31 January 29 Cardiff City 2–0 Nottingham Forest Cardiff
15:00 Parry 18'
Bothroyd 87'		 Report Stadium: Ninian Park
Attendance: 18,779
Referee: Grant Hegley
22 February 30 Wolverhampton Wanderers 2–2 Cardiff City Wolverhampton
15:00 Ebanks-Blake 11'
Konstantopoulos 81' (o.g.)		 Report 31' Chopra
48' R Johnson		 Stadium: Molineux Stadium
Attendance: 22,093
Referee: Darren Deadman
25 February 31 Cardiff City 0–0 Queens Park Rangers Cardiff
19:45 Report Stadium: Ninian Park
Attendance: 17,340
Referee: Roger East
28 February 32 Southampton 1–0 Cardiff City Southampton
15:00 McGoldrick 11' (pen.) Report Stadium: St Mary's Stadium
Attendance: 18,526
Referee: Kevin Wright
3 March 33 Cardiff City 3–1 Barnsley Cardiff
19:45 Ledley 4'
Chopra 43'
Whittingham 88'		 Report 88' Macken Stadium: Ninian Park
Attendance: 15,902
Referee: Pat Miller
7 March 34 Cardiff City 3–0 Doncaster Rovers Cardiff
15:00 Chopra 10'
Bothroyd 29'
E Johnson 60'		 Report Stadium: Ninian Park
Attendance: 17,821
Referee: Grant Hegley
10 March 35 Norwich City 2–0 Cardiff City Norwich
19:45 Mooney 49'
McDonald 90+1'		 Report Stadium: Carrow Road
Attendance: 23,706
Referee: Trevor Kettle
15 March 36 Bristol City 1–1 Cardiff City Bristol
13:15 Maynard 71' Report 88' McCormack Stadium: Ashton Gate Stadium
Attendance: 17,487
Referee: Lee Mason
18 March 37 Cardiff City 2–1 Watford Cardiff
19:45 Bothroyd 14'
McCormack 90+7' (pen.)		 Report 10' (pen.) Smith Stadium: Ninian Park
Attendance: 17,899
Referee: Andy Hall
22 March 38 Cardiff City 0–3 Sheffield United Cardiff
15:00 Report 25' (pen.) Cotterill
46' Ward
87' Quinn		 Stadium: Ninian Park
Attendance: 17,942
Referee: Paul Taylor
5 April 39 Cardiff City 2–2 Swansea City Cardiff
11:00 Chopra 54'
McCormack 90+1' (pen.)		 Report 11' Dyer
88' Allen		 Stadium: Ninian Park
Attendance: 20,156
Referee: Mike Dean
8 April 40 Cardiff City 4–1 Derby County Cardiff
19:45 R Johnson 16'
Rae 61'
Bothroyd 63'
E Johnson 79'		 Report 90+2' (o.g.) E Johnson Stadium: Ninian Park
Attendance: 18,403
Referee: Neil Swarbrick
11 April 41 Crystal Palace 0–2 Cardiff City London
15:00 Report 22' (pen.) McCormack Stadium: Selhurst Park
Attendance: 14,814
Referee: Russell Booth
13 April 42 Cardiff City 3–1 Burnley Cardiff
15:00 Bothroyd 74'
McCormack 85', 90+3'		 Report 84' Blake Stadium: Ninian Park
Attendance: 19,379
Referee: Lee Probert
18 April 43 Preston North End 6–0 Cardiff City Preston
15:00 Mellor 17', 41'
Parkin 51'
Kennedy 54' (o.g.)
Brown 75'
Williamson 86'		 Report Stadium: Deepdale
Attendance: 13,692
Referee: Keith Stroud
21 April 44 Charlton Athletic 2–2 Cardiff City London
19:45 Shelvey 35'
Bailey 80'		 Report 82' Burke
89' Gyepes		 Stadium: The Valley
Attendance: 19,390
Referee: Iain Williamson
25 April 45 Cardiff City 0–3 Ipswich Town Cardiff
15:00 Report 34' Couñago
51' Norris
90' Stead		 Stadium: Ninian Park
Attendance: 19,129
Referee: Scott Mathieson
3 May 46 Sheffield Wednesday 1–0 Cardiff City Sheffield
13:15 Johnson 71' Report Stadium: Hillsborough Stadium
Attendance: 30,658
Referee: Phil Crossley

League Cup

12 August 1st Round Bournemouth 1–2 Cardiff City Bournemouth
19:45 Kuffour 28' 7', 12' Parry Stadium: Seward Stadium
Attendance: 3,399
Referee: Graham Horwood
26 August 2nd Round Cardiff City 2–1 Milton Keynes Dons Cardiff
19:45 McCormack 45+3' (p)
Whittingham 58'		 75' Hanlon Stadium: Ninian Park
Attendance: 6,334
Referee: Rob Shoebridge
23 September 3rd Round Swansea City 1–0 Cardiff City Swansea
19:45 Gómez 57' Stadium: Liberty Stadium
Attendance: 17,411
Referee: Alan Wiley

FA Cup

3 January 3rd Round Cardiff City 2–0 Reading Cardiff
15:00 McCormack 57'
Ledley 83'		 Stadium: Ninian Park
Attendance: 12,448
Referee: Anthony Taylor
25 January 4th Round Cardiff City 0–0 Arsenal Cardiff
13:30 Stadium: Ninian Park
Attendance: 20,079
Referee: Martin Atkinson
16 February 4th Round replay Arsenal 4–0 Cardiff City London
19:45 Eduardo 20', 64' (p)
Bendtner 34'
van Persie 89'		 Stadium: Emirates Stadium
Attendance: 57,237
Referee: Mark Halsey

Overall summary

More information Opposition, Home Score ...

Backroom staff

Awards

Team

  • Algarve Cup – Winners
  • Welsh team of the year: Winners[28]

Individual

See also

Cardiff City F.C. seasons

References

  1. [1]
    "Cardiff clubs sign 20-year deal". BBC. 24 May 2008. Archived from the original on 27 May 2008. Retrieved 24 May 2008.
  2. [2]
    "Historic topping off". Cardiffcitystadium.co.uk. 9 September 2008. Archived from the original on 18 February 2012. Retrieved 3 December 2013.
  3. [3]
    "Jones lands monthly gong". Sky Sports. 6 November 2008. Archived from the original on 7 April 2014. Retrieved 6 November 2008.
  4. [4]
    "Parry hattrick boosts Bluebirds". BBC Sport. 12 July 2008. Retrieved 6 November 2008.
  5. [5]
    "McPhail not getting carried away". BBC Sport. 25 July 2008. Retrieved 6 November 2008.
  6. [6]
    "Chasetown 2–2 Cardiff". BBC Sport. 5 August 2008. Retrieved 6 November 2008.
  7. [7]
    "Cardiff 2–1 Southampton". BBC Sport. 9 August 2008. Retrieved 3 February 2009.
  8. [8]
    "Cardiff 1–2 Birmingham". BBC Sport. 27 September 2008. Archived from the original on 29 September 2008. Retrieved 3 February 2009.
  9. [9]
    "Cardiff 2–1 Coventry". BBC Sport. 30 September 2008. Archived from the original on 4 October 2008. Retrieved 3 February 2009.
  10. [10]
    "Chopra returns on loan to Cardiff". BBC Sport. 6 November 2008. Archived from the original on 1 January 2009. Retrieved 3 February 2009.
  11. [11]
    "Cardiff 2–1 Crystal Palace". BBC Sport. 15 November 2008. Retrieved 3 February 2009.
  12. [12]
    "Swansea 2–2 Cardiff". BBC Sport. 30 November 2008. Archived from the original on 22 February 2009. Retrieved 3 February 2009.
  13. [13]
    "Southampton 1–0 Cardiff". BBC Sport. 28 February 2008. Archived from the original on 2 March 2009. Retrieved 6 May 2009.
  14. [14]
    "Cardiff 2–2 Swansea". BBC Sport. 5 April 2009. Archived from the original on 5 April 2009. Retrieved 6 May 2009.
  15. [15]
    "FAW start coin-throwing inquiry". BBC Sport. 6 April 2009. Archived from the original on 9 April 2009. Retrieved 6 May 2009.
  16. [16]
    "Sheff Wed 1–0 Cardiff". BBC Sport. 3 May 2009. Archived from the original on 4 May 2009. Retrieved 6 May 2009.
  17. [17]
    "Return of ex-bluebirds stars". Cardiff City F.C. 7 August 2008. Archived from the original on 2 October 2011. Retrieved 9 September 2013.
  18. [18]
    "Ex-bluebirds at Norwich City game". Cardiff City F.C. 21 August 2008. Archived from the original on 14 February 2012. Retrieved 9 September 2013.
  19. [19]
    "Former bluebirds stars". Cardiff City F.C. 16 October 2008. Archived from the original on 2 October 2011. Retrieved 9 September 2008.
  20. [20]
    "Legends and Heroes". Cardiff City F.C. 30 October 2008. Archived from the original on 2 November 2008. Retrieved 2 November 2008.
  21. [21]
    A second player was due to appear but pulled out due to illness
  22. [22]
    "Bournemouth 1–2 Cardiff". BBC Sport. 12 August 2008. Retrieved 3 February 2009.
  23. [23]
    "Swansea 1–0 Cardiff". BBC Sport. 23 September 2008. Archived from the original on 24 January 2009. Retrieved 3 February 2009.
  24. [24]
    "Fans clash with police at derby". BBC Sport. 24 September 2008. Archived from the original on 27 September 2008. Retrieved 3 February 2009.
  25. [25]
    "Sporting schedule hit by weather". BBC Sport. 3 February 2009. Archived from the original on 5 February 2009. Retrieved 3 February 2009.
  26. [26]
    "Arsenal 4–0 Cardiff". BBC Sport. 16 February 2009. Archived from the original on 19 February 2009. Retrieved 6 May 2009.
  27. [27]
    Sky Sports Football Yearbook 2009-10. Headline Publishing Group. 2009. ISBN 978-0-7553-1948-0.
  28. [28]
    "Shane wins 2008 BBC Wales crown" BBC Sport Retrieved on 8 December 2008 Archived 10 December 2008 at the Wayback Machine
  29. [29]
    "Davies wins Welsh football gong" BBC Sport Retrieved on 6 November 2008
  30. [30]
    "JOE LEDLEY SCOOPS JANUARY TITLE". Cardiff City F.C. 9 February 2009. Archived from the original on 14 February 2012. Retrieved 10 September 2013.
Share this article:

This article uses material from the Wikipedia article 2008–09_Cardiff_City_F.C._season, and is written by contributors. Text is available under a CC BY-SA 4.0 International License; additional terms may apply. Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.