The C.D That Nearly Won The Cup

An old school friend of mine frustrated he could not find a job in the world of Football . Decided to look across the the pond for suitable qualifications to clime the football ladder . He opted for a Sports Physiology / Physio diploma in the States . He was well up on the physical aspects of the game but this diploma had a motivational twist on it .

He got the diploma and headed home. His actions looked like it had paid off as he landed a job in the physio team with Dave Jones at Cardiff . The year was 2008 and Cardiff where on an amazing cup run. They where preparing for a tricky away quarter final game at Middlesbrough .

He had brought back from the States a motivational C.D . That summed the motivational side of the diploma . On the team coach 30 minuets away from the Riverside he asked if it was ok to put the C.D ,he got the ok . The players were quite deep in their own thoughts on the game as he put the C.D in the machine . One by one it got the attention of the players as they watched in silence . The coach arrived at the Riverside . Cardiff played out of their skin, winning the game nil 2 . Booking themselves a semi final place at Wembley against Barnsley.

Fast forward to the 2008 04 08 again 30 minutes away from the ground this time Wembley . My mate was given the nod to put the C.D in the machine . Again the players in reflection watched the C.D in silence . They arrived put in a professional performance winning the game 0.1 . Booking a winnable game against Portsmouth in the F.A cup final .

So all the pre match hype began surrounding an F.A cup final . A lot of the hype was round whether Dave Jones was going to use Robbie Fowler in the super sub role. Win the cup for Cardiff in the twilight of his career . But Robbie was carrying a niggling injury . It was touch and go whether he would make the bench . Robbie was receiving treatment right up to the game he never travelled with the team in fact he caught the train to London with my mate . So you guessed it my mate never had the opportunity to play the magic C. D . The result was a 1.0 defeat . With Cardiff giving Portsmouth some early worry s but Portsmouth soon took control ending deserved winners . So my mates C. D never had a chance of effecting the game . But to my knowledge its one of the only a few state side pluses that maybe might   have effected are game . With exception of maybe Clint Dempsey and a few others . American owners of are Clubs, the jury’s is still out on that one . YNWA