By Robert Wheeler
Bradley Woolridge will be looking to make amends when Cardiff Met face Connah’s Quay Nomads at Latham Park in the quarter finals of the Welsh Cup at the end of this month.
The Archers’ recent 2-1 victory over Penybont – which came to thanks a brace from Eliot Evans – secured the students’ place in the last eight of the competition.
It means an opportunity for Woolridge to redeem himself after his late own goal turned out to be the winner for the Nomads when the two sides met in the Welsh Premier League in December.
That 2-1 defeat still rankles with the Met defender, although he can see the funny side of a dramatic pinpoint header past his own goalkeeper.
“It was a good finish, wasn’t it?” says Woolridge.
“But I can’t imagine that I’ll be going up the other end and scoring, this time!
“We defended pretty well last time until I put in an own goal. So, it is a chance for me to redeem myself and beat them at their place.”
However, the experienced player is wary of the challenges the Nomads’ pitch and style of play have to offer ahead of the last eight tie on February 28.
“It’s a pretty tough draw. Connah’s Quay are very strong at home and especially with their style of play we know it will be a tough occasion.”
MSc @MetBroadcast student, @luis_hadgj has produced the Cardiff Met FC Journey to Europe documentary for his dissertation project- https://t.co/0KZPAtsKjj 🏹 https://t.co/6uh39gPL17
— Cardiff Met Uni FC (@CardiffMetFC) February 5, 2020
The Nomads are one of the few sides in the Welsh Premier League to still use a grass pitch – something that Woolridge believes takes time to adjust to after playing on the 4G pitches his own side are used to playing on.
“We’re used to the ball moving quite quick on the 4G. It will be tricky getting the studs back on and playing on grass slows the game down a bit.”
It has been a tough season for Cardiff Met, whose campaign began way back in June when they carried the Welsh flag into the preliminary rounds of the Europa League.
They have since developed a tendency to let in late goals. It’s been a recurring theme throughout their season, meaning the side slipped into Group B of the Welsh Premier League as the league has split for Phase 2.
Woolridge admits: “We did go through a patch where we were conceding late goals quite often.
“I definitely don’t think it’s a fitness thing, but perhaps it’s a concentration thing when getting to the end of the game when things get a bit cagey.”
“Perhaps, we’re not making the right decisions at those key moments. I think a lot of the times the goals we’ve conceded are just poor decisions or individual mistakes.
“It’s hard to account for – especially when someone scores a bullet own-goal header in the last minute!”