Cardiff City 0-2 Wycombe Wanderers: 10-Man Bluebirds Miss Huge Opportunity to Close Gap

10-man Cardiff City succumbed to a disappointing 2-0 defeat to Wycombe Wanderers at the Cardiff City Stadium, as two late goals from substitutes André Vidigal and Cauley Woodrow ensured the Chairboys left the Welsh capital with all three points.

The decisive moment came on the stroke of half-time when Gabriel Osho was given his marching orders following a rash challenge on Ewan Henderson.

It left Brian Barry-Murphy’s side with a mountain to climb in the second half. Despite some positive spells after the break, Cardiff were unable to find the breakthrough and ultimately paid the price late on.

The defeat marks the Bluebirds’ second consecutive 2-0 loss on home soil, and their fourth home defeat of the season.

Surprisingly, the Cardiff head coach named an identical starting XI in back-to-back matches for the first time this campaign.

After the impressive 4-0 away victory against Exeter last time out, tonight proved a very different story as Cardiff missed a huge opportunity to make ground on Lincoln City at the summit of League One.

The Imps extended their advantage at the top after drawing 2-2 at Huddersfield this evening, leaving Cardiff now five points adrift of first place.

However, the Bluebirds still hold a comfortable 10-point gap over third-placed Bolton with just eight games remaining.

Player Ratings

Nathan Trott (5) – Could do little about either goal and made two smart low stops. Was decent in possession but not quite to his usual standard.

Perry Ng (6) – Got forward and linked well in his usual triangle with Tanner and Colwill down the right. Solid defensively and unlucky not to get on the scoresheet.

Dylan Lawlor (6.5) – Progressed Cardiff up the pitch nicely and had the better of Lowe throughout. Showed real leadership when Osho was sent off and still commanded the back line well.

Gabriel Osho (3) – Was a little loose in possession at times when trying to carry the ball forward. Sent off after a poor challenge on Henderson, perhaps harsh, but poor judgment from a senior player, and he ultimately gave the referee a decision to make.

Joel Bagan (6) – Similar to Ng in that he had few problems defensively and complemented Ashford well down the left. Timed his overlaps nicely and mixed his passing well.

Ryan Wintle (4) – Efficient in possession early on, but switched to centre-back after Osho’s dismissal and did not look comfortable defensively. At fault for both Wycombe goals, losing his man and then seeing his header fall kindly for Woodrow to tap into an empty net. Perhaps should not have been deployed there.

Alex Robertson (7.5) – (MOTM) – A level above the other Cardiff players tonight. Progressed the ball superbly, played neat short and long passes, industrious in midfield and strong in his duels. Unfortunate to be substituted so early.

© Rubin Colwill (6) – Always trying to make things happen and put it on a plate for Kellyman early on, who missed from inside the six-yard box. Carried the ball well at times, but some of his usual tricks and touches did not quite come off today.

Ollie Tanner (5) – Looked a tired outing from the winger. Nothing quite clicked in the final third, with passes misjudged or the ball held for too long. Corners also went straight into the keeper’s arms. His desire and work rate could not be faulted though.

Cian Ashford (7) – A contender for MOTM but just missed out. A constant threat down the left, cutting inside and driving at defenders through good dribbling. Nearly scored a superb individual goal on the counterattack and delivered a couple of dangerous crosses while tracking back well.

Omari Kellyman (5) - Similar to Tanner, he did not look at his sharpest. His quality never quite came through, and he had very little impact. Missed a huge early chance to put Cardiff ahead and should have done better. Not his night.

Substitutes

David Turnbull (5) – Introduced as part of a triple change, but the game never suited him. Ponderous in possession and struggled to influence things positively. Had one tame effort from a promising area.

Joel Colwill (5) – Never really settled into the contest. Kept the ball well enough at times but offered little impact going forward.

Chris Willock (5.5) – Brought more dynamism than Turnbull and J Colwill from the bench, but his final ball was often off the mark, and he made too many poor decisions after getting into good areas.

Calum Scanlon (6) – Showed raw pace and offered an overlapping threat while remaining disciplined defensively. A solid 20-minute cameo.

Callum Robinson (6) – Bizarrely introduced with just 10 minutes left, replacing Lawlor, Cardiff’s only centre-half on the pitch. A bemusing decision, given Robinson quickly found himself in two good goalscoring positions and was unlucky not to score. On several occasions tonight, the ball fell invitingly in the box, but there was no natural striker’s instinct there to finish the chances, which makes his late introduction when the game was beyond Cardiff all the more surprising.