Cardiff have a lot riding on Tuesday’s game at Brentford with our old friend manager Russell Slade saying his side need to win all their remaining matches to have any chance of making the play-offs.
Saturday’s goalless draw with QPR has left the Bluebirds five points adrift of sixth-placed Sheffield Wednesday with four matches remaining, including their trip to TW8.
However, given that they face Wednesday at Hillsborough on Saturday week, a haul of 12 points could see them leapfrog the Owls to enter the end-of-season showdown.
Their recent run has not helped their cause however, with only four wins in their last nine games and none in their last three.
Cardiff have been in the running for a play-off place for most of the season and have spent most of their time in the top nine.
If they were to win promotion, they would be looking forward to only their second-ever season in the Premier League next campaign.
Their first, in 2013/14, is the only year in the past 13 when they have not played in our current division.
If they miss out however, one reason could be down to the fact that they have drawn 16 of their 42 Championship games so far – the second highest number (behind QPR on 17) in the division.
They have only lost two home games but have drawn eight of the others and on the road have won five, drawn eight and lost eight.
Their away wins have come at Nottingham Forest (2-1 in August), Bolton (3-2 in December), Wolves (3-1) and Huddersfield (3-2, both in January) and Bristol City (2-0 in March).
WE’VE MET BEFORE
There has been plenty of excitement and no fewer than 13 goals in the three Championship meetings between Brentford and Cardiff in the past two seasons.
They claimed the honours earlier in the season on a Tuesday in the middle of December as they snatched a last-gasp 3-2 victory.
Tony Watt and Kenwyne Jones put City 2-0 up at half-time but Jake Bidwell, with his first Bees goal, and then John Swift, in the 86th minute, looked to have won us a point.
However Jones struck in the third minute of injury-time to give Cardiff the points.
The score at the Cardiff City Stadium was also 3-2 last season – only this time in our favour.
Another December fixture saw us race into a 3-0 lead by the 33rd minute with some superb goals by Alex Pritchard, Andre Gray and Jota.
Craig Noone and Kenwyne Jones, again, pulled the hosts back into the game but we held on to move up to third in the table.
Cardiff avenged that defeat at Griffin Park in March as they won 2-1 despite being reduced to nine men.
Andre Gray put us ahead in the first half but Federico Macheda levelled after the break and Alex Revell put the visitors ahead midway through the half.
Former Brentford loan player Kadeem Harris was shown a straight red card for a foul on Alan Judge and then in the closing minutes, Macheda was also sent off for a second booking.
IN CHARGE
Russell Slade resumes hostilities with Brentford on Tuesday night.
Russell became infamous among Brentford fans for his comment about Mark Warburton “celebrating like they’d won the cup” after our crucial win at Leyton Orient during the promotion season.
He has been in charge at Cardiff since replacing Ole Gunnar Solskjaer in October 2014 and is one of very few managers around to have gone into the profession without having a career as a professional player behind him.
Slade was working as a PE teacher and played for Notts County reserves before starting his coaching work at the club.
He worked his way up at Meadow Lane from assistant youth coach to assistant manager and then had a spell as caretaker-manager during the 1994/95 season.
After taking his first permanent managerial roles in non-league football, he returned to the Football League and had two caretaker spells in charge of Sheffield United before being named as manager of Conference side Scarborough in 2001 – leading them to the FA Cup fourth round in 2004.
Back in the Football League he lost successive play-off finals – with Grimsby in League Two in 2006 and with Yeovil in League One a year later.
He went on to save Brighton from relegation before taking charge of Leyton Orient in April 2010.
SQUAD NEWS
Former Bees goalkeeper Simon Moore, who left us to join Cardiff in the summer of 2013, will once again be on the bench having started twice last month while first choice David Marshall was ill.
Simon came through from our youth team and made 77 appearances for us over four seasons with his last being in the play-off final defeat by Yeovil.
Winger Kadeem Harris, who had a three-month loan spell with us during 2013/14, has not made a league appearance for Cardiff this season and was loaned to Barnsley earlier in the campaign.
Midfielder Joe Ralls has made most appearances this season – only missing one game – while Anthony Pilkington, (pictured above) who scored three of the four goals in January’s 2-2 draw with Rotherham (one for the Millers), is top scorer with eight.
Cardiff could give a first start to striker Kenneth Zohore on Tuesday, since joining on loan from Belgian side KV Kortrijk in January.
The Danish Under-21 international has made eight substitute appearances for the club so far.
Defender Ben Turner, who has not played for the Bluebirds this season, is back in the squad after three months on the sidelines with an ankle problem.
Midfielder Peter Whittingham may be rested and if he is then Aron Gunnarsson is set to deputise.
IAN WESTBROOK
@ianwestbrook
Drinking in Brentford
For Cardiff fans coming to the game, you are probably aware there are plenty of pub options pre-match and all are most welcoming. Colours are fine and there is no ‘bouncer culture’ on the doors of our boozers – not yet anyway. All fans are welcome and most fans usually cite Brentford as their favourite away-day which we’re quite proud of.
As is etched in common folklore , there were four pubs around the ground until a few weeks ago – unfortunately one closed down to leave only three now. The Griffin is closest to the away end (like 30 secs walk) and is very popular with away fans – but also very very busy. The New Inn is on the other side is also popular with away fans. The Princess Royal is the other option (The Royal Oak was the one that closed down).
Other pubs slightly further afield for the more creative amongst you include (and this is by no means a definitive list) the … The Globe (Windmill Rd) is the Beesotted fanzine main pub – a very friendly pub indeed. The other boozer is The Lord Nelson (Enfield Rd) – both incredibly friendly and cosy away-friendly pubs and 30 seconds walk from each other .. frequented by ‘away fans in the know’. Boro fans and Bees fans had one hell of a party before and after last season’s league match in both these boozers (despite us losing)- and The Plough (Northfields Ave – 1 minute walk from the tube) in Northfields is a decent stop-off if you are coming by tube to Northfields before making your way down to the ground (normally stopping off at The Globe and Lord Nelson en route on the Northfields pub crawl).
Easily the best way to Brentford is to go from Paddington to Ealing Broadway and then get the 65 bus from outside the station.
Alternatively get the E2 from the same place to Northfields, which is preferred by fans in the know as it has a decent pub crawl run on the way to the ground (Plough, Lord Nelson, Globe).
South Ealing has one posh pub en route that doesn’t really like football fans so we won’t even give it a mention here. It’s 20 mins walk from either South Ealing OR Northfields to the ground or you can get back on the E2 bus from Northfields or 65 bus from South Ealing for the five-minute journey.
If you end up coming via Waterloo and then Brentford station, there is also a pub right by it always referred to as … er … the Pub by Brentford station.
For ale head to the Magpie and Crown pub on Brentford High Street. The Royal Horseguardsman can probably hold 15 of you at a push. The Brewery Tap is a cosy boozer by the river. And if you are super adventurous, get off at Kew Bridge and visit the brand new boozer One Over the Ait right on the river – beside the bridge. Great views over The Thames. It’s around 15 minutes walk to the ground from here.
There are loads more too. A quick Google search and you’ll find them all. There are many many more too if you have a look around.
Parking is pretty easy away from the ground going up towards and over the A4 Great West Road (ie. North) via Ealing Road or Windmill Road.
Spotify
Apple Podcasts
CastBox
Acast
TuneIn
Google Podcasts
I remember attending a home match against Cardiff, in the mid nineties and I was drinking in the Beehive pre-match and I was accosted by a drunken Cardiff supporter, who objected to the football shirt I was wearing under my jacket; it was all white, which was like a red rag to the ruffian taff, who thought I was a Swansea supporter, the deadly enemies of the Bluebirds.
After showing him the shirt, which was actually a Wales away shirt [ being half-Welsh myself, I had slightly divided loyalties that day], he collapsed back into a drunken torper; I later had the satisfaction of stepping over his recumbent body on the floor of the corridor leading to the gents.
I hope the Cardiff supporters behave them selves this evening, as the worst of them, can be pretty nasty.
Anyway, as Cardiff have the sole realistic chance of the two teams re-getting anywhere this season, I wish them ATB, as BFC are going nowhere this season.
It should be a bloody good match.