Nationwide Division Two - Saturday Review (10/05/03)

Last updated : 11 May 2003 By
Cardiff City and Queens Park Rangers are both eyeing up a place in the Nationwide Second Division play-off final at the Millennium Stadium, following Saturday's first leg play-off matches.

The Welshmen travel up the M4 to tackle Danny Wilson's Bristol City with a one goal lead, after a narrow 1-0 victory at rainy Ninian Park, whilst for Ian Holloway's Queens Park Rangers, their advantage is purely territorial, rather than numerical, following a 1-1 draw with Ian Dowie's Oldham Athletic at Boundary Park.

Thorne: Celebrates crucial goal
Cardiff City's Peter Thorne scored the all important goal for the Bluebirds in front of a packed crowd of (19, 146) at Ninian Park.

The ex-Stoke City striker scored with a fine header 17 minutes from the end, following a good cross from Willie Bolland, and his solitary strike proved to be enough to settle a fiesty affair in Wales.

Incredibly, Cardiff City's victory over their Gloucestershire rivals, who had completed a double over Lennie Lawrence's outfit during the regular season, was the Welsh side's first over the West Country men in 23 attempts, dating back to 1971.

Meanwhile in the North West, Queens Park Rangers came from behind to secure a 1-1 draw against Oldham Athletic.

Trailing to a first half effort from the Latics evergreen winger, 39-year old David Eyres, the Hoops responded immediately after the break with an equaliser from Richard Langley.

As soon often happens in play-off matches though, the hero can quickly turn to villain and Langley received his marching orders after 80 minutes, for two bookable offences within a minute of each other.

Oldham Athletic broke the deadlock just before the half hour mark when Eyres smashed home a free-kick. Thereafter, the prolific Wayne Andrews almost doubled the Lancastrians advantage before the break, but after the interval the West Londoners came back into the game and restored parity when Langley pounced to notch his eleventh goal of the season, sliding in at the far post following an error of judgement by home custodian, David Miskelly.

So it is all to play for in the second legs. A reminder that the Bristol City v Cardiff City match is live on SKY TV, on Tuesday 13th May, kick-off 7.45pm, with the Queens Park Rangers V Oldham Athletic encounter taking place 24 hours later at Loftus Road, again with a 7.45pm kick-off.

You can catch all the action right here on The Bee Hive, the unofficial voice of BrentfordFC.

PICTURE COURTESY OF CARDIFFCITY.COM