Dai Sport are spending the week in Cornwall and Devon with Neil Warnock’s Cardiff City. Here is the fourth part of our pre-season diary. Watch out for part five tomorrow.
Goalkeeper Lee Camp looks likely to leave Cardiff City during this transfer window, but he did the Bluebirds proud in their pre-season match against Porthleven in Cornwall.
The visitors were leading 5-0, all scored by Rhys Healey, by half-time and the teams retreated to their respective dressing rooms.
Camp, though, was on a mission to bond with local people.
He gathered around 20 local children together and organised a penalty shootout competition.
Derby-born Camp had a big smile on his face as the kids belted shots at him – and he made despairing dive after despairing dive ‘trying’ to stop them.
One little lad called Trystan, who looked about two-years-old, took his penalty, but his effort didn’t quite reach the goal.
Camp, 33, urged Trystan to run in and take a second shot. The lad did just that, urged on by older children, and he kicked his second shot into goal as Camp scrambled theatrically across his line.
It was great to see the former Derby County, Nottingham Forest and West Brom keeper, who has played almost 500 professional first team matches in his career, the delights of a kick-about.
Cardiff emerged winners 5-1 and Camp was far from happy that his clean sheet was spoiled by Bob Beasley’s scrappy second half effort.
But the locals at South West Peninsular League Porthleven loved their evening at Gala Parc.
Former Liskeard School pupil Max Gilbert is preparing to play for Cardiff City against his home town club at Lux Park on Saturday (2pm).
Midfield player Gilbert was captain of his school team when they won the Satellite League and Cornish Cup in 2018-19, also being voted players player of the season.
The teenager has already had a spell on trial with the Bluebirds and has been pencilled in to play for Cardiff’s under-23 team in the final match of the pre-season tour to Cornwall and Devon.
Gilbert made his mark against manager Neil Warnock’s City first team this week when he scored Bodmin Town’s only goal in their friendly.
Warnock’s men won 11-1, but Gilbert showed great pace and composure when he burst forward onto a long ball over the top.
He was too quick for defenders and goalkeeper Alex Smithies rushed out 20 yards to try and stop him.
Gilbert managed the tiniest of touches as Smithies arrived, enough to send the ball rolling on towards goal. Smithies was stranded and Gilbert ran on too coolly slot into an empty net from an angle.
Cardiff City’s first team complete their pre-season tour this evening, playing National League South club Torquay United at Plainmoor.
The hosts, relegated from the National Premier last season when they finished 22nd out of 24 clubs, include include former Newport players Yan Klukowski and Jennison Myrie-Williams in their squad.
Kenneth Zohore and Aron Gunnarsson may make their first appearances of the tour this evening, although manager Neil Warnock would not totally commit.
“They have been training hard and we’ll assess things on Friday,” said the Bluebirds manager.
Gunnarsson was given extra time away after playing for Iceland in the World Cup and linked up with the Cardiff squad at their St Mellion International Resort headquarters on Monday.
Zohore travelled to Cornwall with Warnock’s squad before being given a couple of days off because his wife had their child.
Sol Bamba was another player given permission to link up with the squad a little later than the rest and he arrived with Gunnarsson on Monday,
Bamba, though, played in City’s 11-1 win at Bodmin Town on Wednesday and is likely to be involved again at Torquay.
My favourite match at Plainmoor, where the Bluebirds face Torquay this evening, came during December 2000.
Cardiff manager Alan Cork had just been named manager of the month and goals ace Robert Earnshaw banged in a hat-trick during the 4-1 win.
It was Cardiff’s first win at Plainmoor for 38 years.
Cork, though, was sent from the dug-out for arguing with the match officials.
Torquay took the lead when an error by Bluebirds’ goalkeeper Mark Walton allowed Tony Bedeau to give Torquay a 1-0 lead at half-time, but Earnie was just getting started.
His first goal came after a brilliant 40-yard solo run on 46 minutes and then two headers, the first from a Danny Gabbidon shot and the second off a Kevin Evans corner, gave Earnshaw, then a Wales-under 21 international, his second hat-trick in a fortnight.
Cork maintained his humour on his dug-out dismissal, saying: “I thought the ref was having such a good game I felt I had to say something to him.”
Torquay’s bad day was made worse when Khalid Chalqi was sent off for throwing a punch, with Paul Brayson sealing the three points for Cardiff with their fourth goal after 79 minutes.
That win extended Cardiff’s unbeaten record to 11 games.
https://twitter.com/CardiffCityFC/status/1019711281941696512
Earnie’s trebles
When Earnshaw scored three goals for West Brom against Charlton in a Premier League match during 2005 he came the first player to score hat-tricks in all four English professional leagues, the League and FA cups and at international level.
FA Cup: Cardiff v Bristol Rovers, November 2000.
League Cup: Cardiff v Boston United, September 2002 and Cardiff versus Leyton Orient, August 2003
Division 3: Cardiff v Torquay, December 2000
Division 2: Cardiff v QPR, November 2002 and Cardiff versus Tranmere Rovers March 2003
Division 1: Cardiff v Gillingham, September 2003 and for Nottingham Forest v Leicester, December 2009
Premier: West Brom v Charlton 2005
International: Wales v Scotland, February 2004
The teams in December 2000:
Torquay United: Jones, Tully, Herrera, Aggrey, Watson, Ford, Chalqi, Hill, Hockley, Williams, Bedeau.
Subs: Northmore, O’Brien, Rowbotham, Sissoko, Mendy.
Cardiff City: Walton, McCulloch, Gabbidon, Bonner, Evans, Weston, Young, Bowen, Low, Earnshaw, Fortune-West.
Subs: Hallworth, Greene, Collins, Brayson, Nogan.
Referee: P Alcock (Halstead).