As Neil Warnock grabs his first win in the hot seat at Cardiff City, we take a look at five things we learnt from Cardiff v Bristol City.
Neil Warnock made his mark in his first match at the Cardiff City Stadium with a highly-charged derby win over an in-form Bristol City in front of a jubilant home crowd.
Joe Bryan’s foul on Craig Noone allowed Peter Whittingham to put his side up 1-0 with a nonchalant penalty before debutant Sol Bamba doubled their lead in the second half.
Lee Tomlin got one back for the the Robins two minutes later but it was not enough to trigger a comeback and Warnock’s men came away victorious.
After such a crucial win that lifted Cardiff above the relegation zone, we take a look at what was learnt from their 2-1 victory.
Neil Warnock got his perfect start
Spectators may have been forgiven for forgetting that it was only Warnock’s first game in charge at Cardiff.
But fans are already lauding the new partnership as it was clear the Yorkshireman had inspired his side to victory in an important derby clash.
Warnock brought with him his passionate yet simple brand of football and managed his team expertly, backed by his years of experience.
The club appointed Warnock after former manager Paul Trollope failed to get the results and left Cardiff toiling in the depths of the Championship.
But, little more than seven days into his time at the club, Warnock has already instilled a sense of hope in fans that he can turn their season around.
Cardiff fans have found a new hero in Sol Bamba
Warnock was not the only man who got his perfect debut at Cardiff City. New signing Sol Bamba put in a man-of-the-match performance that earned the respect of his manager and his new fans.
Bamba’s remarkable display saw him go toe-to-toe with Bristol’s top player who is tipped for stardom, Tammy Abraham.
Not only did he score what would be the winning goal, the Ivory Coast international made a total of four tackles, six interceptions and a spectacular goal-line clearance that prevented the opposition from equalising in the game’s dying minutes.
Cardiff were transformed
Warnock’s men put in a gutsy and visceral performance, the likes of which were not witnessed under Trollope.
They were organised, knew their roles and knew that they were not to let anyone down by diverting from them.
Whilst Warnock will insist that there is much more work to do, they could not have made their intentions clearer, much to the delight of the crowd whose roars of approval echoed round the stadium on the final whistle.
Bristol’s undefeated run is over
Lee Johnson’s side came to Cardiff not having lost in their last five matches across all competitions.
But the Robins struggled to replicate their form against a rejuvenated Cardiff side that frustrated the visitors all night long.
Bristol have had an impressive start to their season and currently sit in fifth place in the league, only five points behind leaders Huddersfield Town.
But despite their recent form, this will be a painful and disappointing derby loss for the team and one they will hope to learn from if they are to remain in play-off contention for the rest of the season.
Johnson’s gamble with Tammy Abraham did not pay off
The Chelsea teenager, who is on loan to Bristol, was doubtful ahead of the visit to Cardiff after he came down with an illness earlier in the week.
Abraham caught a bug after his two-goal full debut for the England Under-21s and it was unclear whether he would make a full recovery in time for Friday’s action.
And, despite Johnson deciding to play his top scorer of the season so far, it was clear to everyone that Abraham was having an off night and he was eventually substituted in the 78th minute.
The forward only had 23 touches and two shots, neither of which were on target. Johnson will be hoping his star player can make a full recovery ahead of the team’s visit to QPR on Tuesday so Bristol can get back on track.
Meanwhile, Warnock’s men will try and build some momentum when they host the Owls on Wednesday.
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