Sam Baldock sealed his move from West Ham with a debut goal - and extra
shifts of training.
Substitue Baldock, 23, made the move from Premier League outfit for £1.1
million last week and announced his arrival with the Robins's fourth goal in the
87th minute. He then revealed:
"We've got a striker's club where we all come down to the training
ground early to do a bit of extra finishing and get some friendly competition
going. We have five top drawer strikers who are used to playing week in,
week out or who have come to play more first team football like myself.
Whoever's not stepping up their game will be dragged on by the
others.
The wide players come along to cross the ball and help us
out, but they don't have to fetch them as they all end up in the back of the
net!"
And Baldock dismissed any talk of the transfer being a backward step. He
said:
"People may see me as moving down from West Ham, but I'm not a Premier
League player. I've never played in the Premier League so I've not taken a step
down. It's a move that will help me continue my personal development and we can
continue our development as a club."
Baldock could have grabbed a hat trick after coming on in the 64th minute,
but he hit the side netting with his first touch and six minutes later his shot
rebounded off the post for Martyn Woolford to knock in his second of the
game.
Ryan Taylor, 24, slotted in City's opener after a clever dummy from
co-striker Jon Stead in the 32nd minute and Stead's defence splitting pass set
up Woolford's first in injury time before the break.
Winger Woolford, 26, has already bagged three goals this season and
admitted his confidence has grown now that he knows he figures in boss Derek
McInnes's plans.
McInnes took over at Ashton Gate last October and has used the summer to
rebuild his squad. Woolford revealed:
"He reassured me that he had kept the players he wanted to work with and so
you know that you have as much chance as anyone else. It's then down to had
work.
It also gives you extra confidence when you look around the team and you
see the quality we have."
Substitute Joe Mason gave Cardiff hope when he nodded in twelve minutes
after the break and former QPR striker Heidar Helguson pegged another goal back
five minutes before Baldock wrapped things up.
Both sides came close in the first half.
In the 14th minute Cardiff playmaker Whittingham tested former team mate
Tom Heaton from 22 yards, but the keeper - who joined the Robins in the summer -
dived to beat away the fierce goal-bound shot.
And two minutes later, Woolford linked up Stead to tee up Adomah who fired
wide from 14 yards.
Seven minutes before the break Iceland midfielder came close to scoring for
the visitors but saw his header from a Whittingham corner bounce up on to the
bar before being punched clear by Heaton.
McInnes was delighted with the result and said:
"It was always going to be a big ask to make sure we won the game, but we
certainly did that with a bit of polish."
Cardiff manager Malky Mackay was disappointed with his team's defensive
performance and said:
"We gave away possession cheaply in dangerous areas and too many of my
dependable players were below par. You can carry one or two in that situation,
but when it's three or four you'll always be up against it."
My piece from Sunday's paper (two deliberate errors included!!)
My clipping from this morning's paper
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