Lions & Bluebirds | Shared Stories

As the Bluebirds travel to the Den to face Millwall on Saturday afternoon, we recall a famous meeting, a shared player and an iconic goal scored against the Lions in years gone by.

A MEMORABLE MEETING AT THE DEN

The Den is a tough place to visit. One of our most recent victories came in 2012.

Craig Noone’s strike in the Bluebirds' 2-0 away victory is something that will live long in the memory of the travelling City fans that day.

The Bluebirds went into the trip to Millwall full of confidence, after enjoying a positive start to the 2012/13 Championship season, which included victories against Wolverhampton Wanderers and Leeds United in their previous two matches.

After a goalless first half in South-East London, City legend Peter Whittingham burst the game into light opening the scoring in the 53rd minute. The midfielder, who netted his fifth of the campaign, found the top corner with a magnificent strike from range.
 
Just two minutes later, the Bluebirds netted a landmark goal and doubled their advantage. Tommy Smith picked out Noone outside the box before he drove the ball past Maik Taylor to open his City account.

The only downside of this evening, was a long-term injury to forward Nicky Maynard.

In a professional performance, the Bluebirds secured another three points to continue a fine start of the season, with Noone playing an influential part in the Bluebirds’ attacking prowess.

Having joined the club from Brighton & Hove Albion in the summer of 2012, Noone quickly became a fan favourite amongst Bluebird supporters, after an impressive first season in the Welsh capital.

His first season with the club was a hugely significant one, as the Bluebirds were crowned as league champions, securing promotion to the Premier League for the first time since 1962.

Noone played a key part in a historical campaign, scoring seven goals in 35 Championship appearances to more than justify his signing.

In total, the dynamic winger made 170 appearances for the Bluebirds across his five-year tenure in South Wales.

KEOGH’S LAST MINUTE WINNER STUNS THE LIONS

Andy Keogh produced a moment of magic at Cardiff City Stadium in 2010 when he netted a last-minute winner in a 2-1 victory against the Lions, firmly cementing a place for City amongst the automatic promotion places.

After a poor start at CCS, Scott Barron had given the visitors a 10th-minute lead after he finished well past Tom Heaton to store an early advantage.

However, that was before Jay Bothroyd levelled soon after, netting on his 100th Bluebird appearance.

Without any further goals for the remainder ahead of the interval, City would provide late drama in the Welsh Capital, with Keogh becoming the goal scoring hero in front of a crowd of over 23,000 that made its way to Leckwith that day.

Bothroyd’s cross found the arriving Keogh, who thumped home a delightful header to score for his first Bluebirds goal and also his first goal since August 2009.

With the final whistle blown, City extended their unbeaten run to eleven home games and returned to winning ways after two straight defeats on the road.

Keogh would later go on to join the Lions in 2012.

PLAYER FOCUS: MARK KENNEDY

One player who has made appearances as both a Bluebird and a Lion is defender Mark Kennedy. The Republic of Ireland international, who won 34 caps for his country, began his career with Millwall, making his senior debut in 1993, aged 16.

Following an impressive first season with the Lions, Kennedy went on to become an integral part of the team during his three-year spell at the club, gaining further Premier League interest after a superb solo goal against Arsenal at Highbury. With that moment being one of his top goals in his career, the defender then earned himself a move to European giants Liverpool FC in 1995.

Kennedy made the move to the Welsh capital after being signed by his former Wolves manager Dave Jones in the summer of 2008. During his time at Ninian Park and Cardiff City Stadium, the left-back made over 75 appearances for the Bluebirds, including one in the 2010 Play-Off Final.
 
Making 446 appearances in total across his illustrious career, Kennedy joined Ipswich Town in 2010, before going on to retire from professional football in 2012.