City Flashback - 2017 | Bennett nets brace against Terriers
⏪𝐂𝐢𝐭𝐲 𝐅𝐥𝐚𝐬𝐡𝐛𝐚𝐜𝐤 | 2017 📆@JoeBennett27's brace helped the #Bluebirds defeat the Terriers! 💙
— Cardiff City FC (@CardiffCityFC) September 16, 2022
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As the Bluebirds prepare for a trip to Huddersfield Town on Saturday afternoon, we take a look back at a memorable performance against the Terriers in 2017.
On the final day of the 2016/17 season, Neil Warnock’s side travelled to the John Smith’s Stadium looking to close the campaign with a victory, after a promising second half to the season.
With the Terriers sitting safely in the Play-Offs on a tally of 81 points, the Bluebirds quickly set about defeating their opponents for the second time that season, with a prior 3-2 victory in the Welsh capital earlier in the campaign.
In front of 20,583 spectators in West Yorkshire, City stepped up admirably to secure an impressive 3-0 victory over Town, who were then managed by David Wagner.
City were rewarded for their formidable start to the game, as Kenneth Zohore broke the deadlock just seven minutes in.
The Danish forward got onto the end of a lovely through ball by Anthony Pilkington, before composedly finishing past the advancing Town goalkeeper, Danny Ward.
The goal was Zohore’s 12th in all competitions, as he finished the season as the club’s top scorer.
Moments later, some neat work down the right saw Aron Gunnarsson break free inside the box, with the Icelandic international forcing Ward into a diving save.
With City continuing to cause a threat, the Terriers were reduced to ten men just 13 minutes later, following Ward's dismissal for handling outside of the area.
On the half-hour mark, Zohore turned from scorer to provider for City's second of the afternoon. Receiving Joe Ralls' pass on the left side of the box, the striker picked out the unmarked Joe Bennett inside the area.
The left back, who had scored his first goal for the Club six weeks prior, struck well with his first touch, firing past replacement keeper Joel Coleman and into the roof of the net.
Continuing to play with the confidence that the man advantage afforded them, it was Bennett who scored once more for City with 20 minutes of the match remaining. This time, the left-back struck from close range following another incisive pass from his teammate Zohore.
With the final whistle blown, the Bluebirds secured three points on the final day of the league season and produced an away performance to remember for the travelling City fans.
Joining in the celebrations afterwards was City legend Peter Whittingham, who had been introduced not long before our third and final goal of the encounter.
Having featured in over 450 matches in all competitions for the Bluebirds during his 10-year spell, his outing against the Terriers would be his final appearance for the Club.
City went on to finish 12th in the Championship at the end of the campaign, while Wagner's men secured a fifth-place finish, and were eventually promoted to the Premier League alongside Newcastle United and Brighton & Hove Albion.
The Bluebirds went on to join Town in the top flight the following season, building on the foundations they had laid in 2016/17 by securing a second-place finish and gaining automatic promotion.
