OLE: DERBY DAY DEFEAT v SWANS HURTS
The South Wales derby defeat to Swansea was difficult to take for all affiliated to Cardiff City at the Liberty Stadium on Saturday night, including Bluebirds boss Ole Gunnar Solskjær who was left to lament a slow start to the second half which handed the initiative to our hosts.
“We’re bitterly disappointed,” Ole said after the match. “It hurts a lot for me and it hurts a lot for the players and of course our supporters. For the points lost also, it hurts. Today Swansea moved six points ahead of us, when ahead of the game the win would have brought us level, it’s that tight in the league.
“For the opening ten minutes Swansea were on the front foot, but we held firm and weathered the early storm. They didn’t really create any chances and we were happy with the performance up until that point, but the start of the second half changed the game, as goals always do. The first goal in games like this is always important.
“Going out in to the second half we wanted to press them high, but switching off for a split second cost us, giving them the early advantage. They worked an opening for Routledge and to be fair to him, he finished nicely, putting the ball away.
“From there I felt that we responded well, having two good chances of our own. Craig (Bellamy) was unlucky and hit the bar, and then after a free-kick, Kim-Bo comes close with an effort from a second ball. It didn’t go our way though and in the last ten minutes the lad (Dyer) scored a good diving header to make it 2-0, making it even more difficult for us.
“From that point, we had to go for it, pressing forward, but it wasn’t to be as they scored the third goal to seal the win. As said, the loss is hugely disappointing to all of us connected to Cardiff City.”
Cardiff now begin a spell of games on home soil, starting with Aston Villa on Tuesday night. For the fixtures ahead, the Cardiff City boss fully appreciates the significance.
“Every game is important and every win is important,” he said. “Thankfully we’ve got two Premier League home games next on the schedule, along with the FA Cup fixture at home against Wigan. For those games I’m sure that we’ll get a response.
“As a group we’ll continue to work hard and prepare fully for the games ahead, starting in just a few short days.
“After the game today everyone was devastated, which we should be having lost a game of this nature. But while we lacked that bit of quality in finishing today, we have the belief and desire to bounce back, which we’ll look to do on Tuesday night. The character is there in my squad and with the supporters behind us, I’m sure we’ll get the results we all want.”
