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The South Wales Derby. Synonyms: Battle, scrap, divisive.
It was quite ironic that Wales was divided and united on the same day. Football and Rugby provided two sources of entertainment for the people, but those in the Swansea side of the Venn Diagram had an awful day on both counts.
We’re here to talk about football, though, and the pain inflicted was slow and frustrating for Steve Cooper’s side. After falling behind early, it became a routine of attack vs defence for 83 minutes.
Swansea dominated possession (75/25), had 23 shots, completed 500 passes to the visitors’ 112, and had 11 corners.
The three in Cardiff’s rear-guard – skipper Sean Morrison, Aden Flint and Ciaron Brown – were particularly impressive.
Of the mentioned 23 shots, 13 were blocked – a stat which was more than visible to those both at the stadium and watching from home. “Blocked again by Flint”, “Brown in the way for Cardiff, not for the first time” were quotes I recall hearing in the press box Saturday.
So how have three defenders gelled enough in such a short period to win one of, if not the most important game of the season – especially for the fans – almost single-handedly.-
Each player has their individual story, but the determinant in their agglomeration is the manager, Mick McCarthy.
After the Bluebirds’ season looked to be coasting to mediocrity under Neil Harris, the former Millwall man was dismissed in mid-January. He was replaced almost immediately with the Barnsley-born Irishman after his short-term spell in Cyprus.
Of his opening 13, he had won seven in the Welsh capital at a rate of 53.4%. Despite this, his loss against Watford and goalless draw with Stoke piled pressure on the result of the esteemed South Wales derby in Swansea.
History though, was on their side. In 70 previous South Wales’ derbies, there had never been a league double completed. With Swansea winning 2-0 at the Cardiff City Stadium in December, the achievement was on.
The match went the way many would expect with the two managers in the dugout, as mentioned. McCarthy’s pragmatic style is made for Cardiff, and in particular defenders of the no-nonsense variety.
Aden Flint, Sean Morrison and Ciaron Brown can’t be limited by such a definition, but they certainly fall under the bracket with McCarthy at the helm.
Flint, a mammoth at 6’7, also contributed at the other end with a bullet header after eight minutes.
He’s no stranger to bagging goals from set-pieces though. Throughout his career, in particular for Bristol City, he was almost a regular.
When he first came on to the scene, at Alfreton in Non-League, his performances were attracting interest from across the Football League. In a century of league appearances for the Derbyshire outfit, he was scouted by the likes of Derby County – before making his move to Paolo di Canio’s Swindon Town.
He was integral in their League Two title win before joining rivals Bristol City. Under Steve Cotterill, the Robins steamrollered the third tier in Flint’s second season. It was a campaign to remember, as Flint scored 14 goals from centre-back.
He continued his goal scoring antics in the Championship under Cotterill then Lee Johnson, scoring 19 goals in the next three seasons before joining Tony Pulis at Middlesbrough.
Three goals and a season of turmoil later, he’d sign for another stalwart of the English game – Neil Warnock – at Cardiff City.
His impact was minimal before and after the departure of Warnock, and he wasn’t favoured by Neil Harris who initially loaned him to Sheffield Wednesday. His loan was cut short, and he returned to the Welsh capital in January.
His captain, partner in crime and fellow blocker Sean Morrison is adored in the Bluebirds faithful. Affectionately donned ‘Mozza’, the Plymouth-born defender has been a stalwart for Cardiff for seven years.
After being released as a teenager by the Pilgrims for ‘not using his size well enough’, he joined Swindon Town, who he’d make 50 appearances for before joining Reading in 2011.
Three years on, after several loan spells away from the Royals, he joined Cardiff subsequent to their initial Premier League relegation under Ole Gunnar Solskjaer.
In the absence of David Marshall he acquired the armband at the beginning of 2015/16, and remained integral to the Bluebirds upon the arrival of Neil Warnock.
Sheffield Wednesday submitted a £3 million bid for the defender, but Warnock admitted “it wouldn’t buy one of Morrison’s legs.”
After winning promotion to the Premier League and being unfortunately relegated just a year later, Morrison remains a vital component of Cardiff’s back line to this day – as proven with his battling performance at the Liberty Stadium.
The third musketeer is vastly less experienced, in both his career and a Cardiff shirt.
Northern Irish international Ciaron Brown has been a revelation since returning to the club at the end of January. He made his debut for the club last season, in the League Cup. And like Flint, his journey began in Non-League.
Playing regularly at a young age for Bedfont Sports gave Brown the platform to move to National League South side Wealdstone.
Following a trial, he joined Cardiff in 2018 – much akin to the Max Kilman deal at Wolves, in which a young star from the fifth or sixth tier is bolstered with top level interest.
He established his reputation with Livingston in three separate loan spells, most recently in the first half of this season, and has made four appearances since his return.
At 6’1, he’s the smallest of the three – a whole six inches smaller than the dwarfing Flint, and three inches smaller than Morrison.
The cocktail of Brown’s skill, Morrison’s leadership and Flint’s brute force has been mixed to perfection by Mick McCarthy. The trio, the Bluebird block, of Flint, Brown and Mozza, could be the elixir to Cardiff’s playoff push.
