Cardiff City 0, Norwich City 1
Cameron Jerome infuriated Cardiff City fans when he headed in Norwich City’s winner at Cardiff City Stadium – and ran in front of them doing the ‘Ayatollah’.
For the second time in a week I watched a lack of respect to Welsh sport – first at Ice Arena Wales and then by Norwich City striker Cameron Jerome at Cardiff City Stadium.
Belfast Giants ice hockey coach Derrick Walser spent almost 30 seconds skating and putting on his helmet while the Wales national anthem was being sung at Ice Arena Wales.
Canadian Walser was booed, given a 10-minute misconduct, later apologised and that was it.
Walser admitted he was confused because he thought the anthem had ended, while Jerome’s moment came after he scored in front of Cardiff fans and jumped up to do the Ayatollah in celebration.
He ran in front of the Canton Stand tapping his head and Bluebirds supporters didn’t take kindly to his actions. Jerome was booed, but didn’t appear repentant.
We’ll see if he, too, decides to apologise.
Jerome, of course, knows all about the Ayatollah having played for the Bluebirds for three years as a young striker.
When Paul Wilkinson was added to Cardiff’s coaching team in 2003, when Lennie Lawrence was manager, he brought teenager Jerome with him.
He had effectively quit football when, after scoring 100 goals in one season for Huddersfield at under-10 level, his home-town club stopped him moving to Manchester United.
Wilkinson had helped coax the best out of Jerome during their time together at Grimsby and the Huddersfield-born hit-man made the grade with the Bluebirds.
I loved watching his pace and power for Cardiff’s under-18s, while he burst into the Championship spotlight and fired 27 goals in 79 league and cup. He became an England under-21 international.
Sheffield Wednesday and Middlesbrough were keen on the teenage striker, but Cardiff stepped in and he became a £4m footballer when he was sold to Birmingham City three years later.
Today Jerome, 30, is working to try and put Norwich City’s promotion chase back on course – and netted his 99th career league goal with his 40th minute diving header past goalkeeper Allan McGregor.
That was his third goal in four appearances and justified manager Alex Neil’s decision to select him ahead of Portuguese striker Nelson Oliveira, who had netted 10 in 12 fixtures before being sent off at Rotherham.
That resulted in a three-match suspension, but Oliveira was back in the Norwich squad for this one.
Jerome’s strike ended hopes of a fourth successive League clean sheet at home, having shut-out Aston Villa, Burton and Preston.
The Bluebirds had gone more than five hours without conceding – courtesy of Brian Murphy and then Allan McGregor – when Norwich went ahead.
This was another solid tam performance from Cardiff, typically competitive and committed in the Warnock style, but they will be disappointed that Jerome was allowed to steal in and head in when they really should have dealt with the situation.
Warnock and any team managed by him will always fight when they are a goal down. He sent on striker Rhys Healey and winger Craig Noone in an attempt to find a way through the effective Norwich defensive unit.
Healey went down inside the penalty area after 76 minutes when he appeared to be barged over by a defender, but referee Chris Kavanagh wasn’t impressed and booked the Cardiff man for diving.
Soon after Kadeem Harris crashed to the pitch as he went past a defender, but Kavanagh again waved aside penalty appeals.
Warnock’s men, though, struggled to create from midfield where Aron Gunnarsson, Joe Ralls and Peter Whittingham struggled to find their best form.
Noone’s dazzling solo run along the byeline from the right almost opened up the Canaries, but his shot was deflected across goal and Kadeem Harris blazed the loose ball over from an angle.
It is a bitterly disappointed defeat for the Bluebirds, who now face tough away fixtures at Leeds United and Derby County.
Cardiff City: A McGregor, S Morrison (capt), J Richards, P Whittingham (R Healey 72), J Ralls, S Bamba, M Connolly (D John 86), A Gunnarsson, K Harris, K Zohore, J Hoilett (C Noone 70). Subs not used: B Murphy (gk), F Gounongbe, G Halford, M Harris.
Norwich City: J Ruddy, M Dijks, R Martin (capt), J Howson, C Jerome, W Houlahan (R Bennett 88), T Klose, Y Wildschut (J Murphy 71), J Murphy (N Oliveira 80), I Pinto, A Tettey. Subs not used: M McGovern, S Whittaker, A Pritchard, B Godfrey.
Referee: Chris Kavanagh.
Attendance: 15,901.