Matchday Memories: On This Day 2003 – Sky Blues Banish Bluebirds From F.A.Cup In Battle Of CCFCs

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Lee celebrates the first

On this day (15th January) in 2003 referee Graham Poll officiated again in the FA Cup Third Round replay between Division One Sky Blues and Division Two Cardiff City. In the first game in Wales eleven days earlier the Bluebirds ‘gaffer’ Lenny Lawrence had made some late substitutions with City 2-0 up after 57 minutes (from recent CCFPA recruit Lee Mills and a penalty from player-manager Gary McAllister) which turned the game. First Robbie Earnshaw (76 minutes) and then Andy Campbell (in the second minute of added on time) grabbed the draw as the game finished 2-2.

This time the Welsh team’s subs did not make a difference and the Sky Blues sailed to a comfortable 3-0 win with goals from Lee Fowler, Dean Holdsworth and Jay Bothroyd. Former Sky Blue (and now CCFPA member) Willie Boland was in the Cardiff City team.
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Dean is congratulated by team mates

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Jay leaps for joy

There were 11,997 in the stadium to see the clash and City’s young Cardiff born midfielder Lee Fowler  put the skids under the visitors with a cool finish from Jay Bothroyd‘s through ball after 21 minutes. After a number of other attempts which didn’t come off Dean Holdsworth finally netted with a stunning curler to get City’s second twelve minutes into the second half. Jay put the icing on the cake with a minute to go as the Sky Blues 3-0 win set up a Fourth Round date at Rochdale.

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Gary McAllister- Sky Blue ‘gaffer’

McAllister’s Men lined up as follows (CCFPA players underlined):-

Morten Hyldgaard, Calum Davenport, Dean Gordon, Lee Fowler, Mo Konjic, Richard Shaw, Craig Pead, Gary McAllister, Dean Holdsworth,  Jay Bothroyd and Richie Partridge (sub. Robert Betts)
 
Lennie Lawrence‘s Bluebirds team took the field with these players:-
Neil Alexander, Rhys Weston, Gary Croft (sub. Andy Campbell -2), Graham Kavanagh, Scott Young, Chris Barker, Jason Bowen, Willie Boland, Peter Thorne, (sub. Leo Fortune-West -1), Robbie Earnshaw and Andy Legg (sub. Collins -3)                            Referee:- Graham Poll
 

CCFC 2002-03

The Sky Blues joy in the F.A. Cup did not last long as they played at Rochdale – a hoodoo ground- in Round Four and duly lost 2-0 leaving the hopes of 3,300 City fans dashed at Spotland.
 
The Division One season also subsided with no league wins in the last twelve and the last five games of the season goalless! We were lucky to finish twentieth two places and four points above trouble – the relegated teams were Sheffield Wednesday, Brighton and Grimsby Town (bottom). 
 
Portsmouth (Champs) and Leicester City (runners up) went up as of right and they were joined by fifth placed Wolverhampton Wanderers after the play-offs.
Thanks to CCFPA’s Dean Nelson and Mike Young for sourcing the photos

 

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