During each month throughout this season, we will be remembering the most important moments, matches and milestones from the history of Cardiff City Football Club, proudly celebrating our momentous 125th anniversary.
This chapter of our history begins in Division Four, the first time City had featured in the fourth tier since its inception in 1958/59. A disappointing spell under Alan Durban had seen the Bluebirds suffer consecutive relegations, with Frank Burrows drafted in as his replacement in May 1986. Burrows brought the likes of Bobby Smith, Gavin Tait and the returning Jimmy Goodfellow to Ninian Park as coaches, hoping to turn the Club’s fortunes around.
Despite losing just one of the first nine games, the 1986/87 campaign would only prove to be one of consolidation in South Wales. There were big wins over the likes of Hereford United (4-1), Burnley (1-3) and Hartlepool United (4-0), but Burrows’ Bluebirds would end the campaign in 13th position. After back-to-back drops, the campaign importantly halted City’s slide down the divisions, and also brought several positives – future skipper Jason Perry earned his debut, and Paul Wimbleton made a telling contribution with 11 goals.
Crucially, that year put City in good stead for the following campaign, which would produce a memorable league and Cup double. Burrows had made several astute signings on a limited budget, including George Wood, Nicky Platnauer, Terry Boyle and Jimmy Gilligan, who would go on to become the main man for the Bluebirds. The small but hearty band of supporters on the Ninian terraces (4,849 was the average home attendance) watched on as Burrows’ boys charged towards promotion. Gilligan scored the winner in the South Wales derby in late August to set the tone for the season; City won six of their opening 11 games before an October struggle, but rallied in some style to win promotion.
Burrows’ side lost just four league games between the start of November and the end of the season, racing into the top two. Wolverhampton Wanderers were the title winners, but City battled with Scunthorpe United and Bolton Wanderers for the second automatic spot, managing to successfully fend off both. The Bluebirds struck gold at the perfect time; a run of seven wins from the final eight games saw them pull clear of any challengers and guarantee a return to the third tier. Promotion was officially secured with a 2-0 win over Crewe Alexandra at Ninian – 10,125 fans watched on as Kevin Bartlett and Brian McDermott hit the back of the net. Another 2-0 win, this time over Wrexham in the Welsh Cup Final, brought the return of European football to the Welsh capital for the first time since 1977.
City’s ‘rise from the rubble’ was both figurative and literal; whilst the Bluebirds had emerged from the bottom tier of English football, steps had also been taken to improve safety measures at Ninian Park. The Grangetown Stand had been demolished and rebuilt in the late 1970’s due to the Safety of Sports Grounds Act, and further improvements would soon be on the horizon for our beloved old ground.
The start of the 1988/89 season proved difficult as City adjusted to life back in the Third Division, with a short trip to Derry in the Cup Winners’ Cup ending 0-0. By the time of the second leg, the Bluebirds’ form had improved, and they were able to record a comprehensive 4-0 win over their League of Ireland opponents. Burrows’ men faced AGF Aarhus of Denmark in the next round, losing 2-1 at Ninian Park with Gilligan scoring. That game sparked a run of four straight league wins, all at home, over Bury, Gillingham, Northampton Town and Brentford, with an unfortunate second leg defeat in Denmark sandwiched in between.
City pulled away from trouble and finished 16th, but Burrows soon departed for Portsmouth after a poor start to the following campaign, taking hotshot Gilligan with him. Len Ashurst returned to South Wales after a brief stint as boss of Al-Wakrah in Qatar, and hoped to replicate the magic of 1982/83, but was less successful in his second spell. Despite another strong November, and a Boxing Day South Wales derby win thanks to Leigh Barnard’s goal, the poor start to the season had done too much damage. That, coupled with a late run of seven defeats in ten, sent City back to the Fourth Division.
Into the 1990’s, and Ashurst’s men made a good start to life in the fourth tier, losing only one of their opening ten games, albeit with five draws. A nine-game Spring unbeaten run heightened Play-Off hopes, only for a disastrous finale, eight games without a win, to derail promotion hopes and leave City finishing in 13th. A popular manager in South Wales, Ashurst was replaced by Eddie May in the off-season, closing one era of Bluebirds history and opening another.
May’s promotion from coach to manager, combined with the emergence of several young local players, precipitated a period of success in South Wales. A side containing Jason Perry, Damon Searle, Nathan Blake, Chris Pike and Carl Dale gelled with the City supporters, as attendances began to grow. ‘Eddie May’s Barmy Army’ followed the side with renewed vigour during a 1991/92 season which saw the Bluebirds finish 9th. That, coupled with a Welsh Cup Final win over Hednesford Town, showed that the roots of success had been firmly planted.
The following campaign, 1992/93, will forever be remembered as one of the best-ever seasons in our 125 year history. May added experience to his youthful team, with ex-Wales captain Kevin Ratcliffe and winger Robbie James arriving at Ninian Park alongside striker Phil Stant, midfielder Paul Ramsey, defender Derek Brazil and goalkeeper Mark Grew. European football was back, as the Bluebirds faced Austrian side Admira Wacker. 1-1 in the first leg in Cardiff, the return fixture in Mödling finished 2-0 to the hosts, but the darling buds of May were all the better for the experience.
A financial boost also allowed for the redevelopment of Ninian Park, with new seating added and renovation works continuing. With a talented squad, adored manager, growing attendances and improving facilities, the feel-good factor was returning to the Welsh capital.
May’s men were promotion contenders from the off. The lowest they stooped all season was 12th after an October defeat to Shrewsbury Town – by early December, they were up to 4th. The turn of the year saw City really kick into gear, with an outstanding run of eight straight league wins. In fact, the Bluebirds won 12 of 13 fixtures from early January to late March, drawing just once, against Crewe Alexandra.
By this point, May’s side were sitting on top of the table, with some huge results in the final weeks of the season. City saw off Play-Off chasing Lincoln City and title-challengers Wrexham, cruising to promotion. 17,407 witnessed a 2-1 win over Shrewsbury Town in our final home match, with thousands ‘doing the Ayatollah’ to celebrate a successful campaign.
The final challenge was to win the title – a final day clash at Scunthorpe United was the setting. Famously, Bluebirds fans travelled en masse to Glanford Park to watch a 3-0 win, handing the Club our second ever league title, after the Third Division South crown of 1946/47. Winning promotion was one thing, but lifting the trophy after a long campaign cemented May’s place in the history books, and further endeared him to the Bluebirds fans who took up three quarters of Scunthorpe's ground!
The brilliant City side weren’t done there, beating Rhyl 5-0 in the Welsh Cup final to secure a league and Cup double. The mercurial Stant was at his best, scoring a hat trick, with Cohen Griffith netting twice. Stant was the highest scorer of the season, netting 19 goals in all competitions with Dale and Chris Pike in support.
Our final European adventure came in 1993, as May’s men were drawn against Standard Liege. 1,000+ made the journey from South Wales and saw Tony Bird bag a brace in Belgium, only for a star-studded Standard side to win 5-2. Robbie James netted in the return leg, but it was Liege who progressed with ease, putting an end to City’s participation in the Cup Winners’ Cup almost 30 years after our first fixture.
Although the 1993/94 season once again brought a struggle against relegation, our magic moment came in the FA Cup. Since Peter Sayer’s winner against Spurs in 1977, FA Cup success had been hard to come by for City. Therefore, a home tie against Manchester City would prove to be the perfect occasion. The Premier League side were heavy favourites, but Nathan Blake’s swivel and curling strike sent the 20,000 Bluebirds fans wild. Keith Curle could have levelled, but Grew produced a wonderful penalty save to knock the visitors out and send us through - to this day, a beloved memory for thousands of City supporters.
Sadly, the good times could only last so long. 1994/95 saw May replaced (albeit only briefly) by Terry Yorath, but May was soon back in the dugout. He couldn’t prevent City being one of five teams that were relegated, with Kenny Hibbitt next in the hotseat. Hibbitt became part of the Ninian Park furniture, having three separate but short spells as manager. Initially, he lasted just over half of the 1995/96 campaign before ex-Liverpool defender Phil Neal came in – with the Bluebirds finishing a disappointing 22nd. Carl Dale was a shining light, scoring 31 goals in all competitions.
Russell Osman replaced Neal in October 1996, but lasted just five games before Hibbitt was re-instated. There was a marked improvement in league position, as City went from 22nd to 7th, though it wasn’t long before a familiar face was back in the home dugout. Frank Burrows returned to the Welsh capital in February 1998, adding some much-needed stability to proceedings.
The millennium would end with another promotion, Burrows’ second at the Club, as City returned to the third tier. Already proven as a shrewd operator in the transfer market, Burrows used the recent ‘Bosman’ ruling to his advantage – Mike Ford returned and Mark Delaney arrived at Ninian Park on free transfers to spearhead City’s charge. Burrows’ side also contained the likes of Jason Bowen and Andy Legg, with Jeff Eckhardt and Kevin Nugent playing key roles.
This chapter of our history ends as it began – with Burrows getting City out of trouble and into the third tier. After a poor start (three defeats in four), the Bluebirds won 16 of the next 21 games to firmly launch a promotion push. Following a seven game winless run after Christmas, City rallied to go nine unbeaten and clinch third spot. A 0-0 draw with Scunthorpe United sealed it, with Burrows waving to the gleeful Bluebirds fans from the Grandstand.
It had been a topsy-turvy quarter of a century for the Club, filled with highs and lows. Ultimately, the Bluebirds found themselves at the end of 1999 where they had been back in 1986 – flitting between the third and fourth divisions and unable to sustain any momentum for too long. Thankfully, that was all about to change.
