Bluebirds past, present and future – a weekly new Dai-Sport football column by Terry Phillips
Past . . . .
Neil Warnock takes his Bluebirds to St James Park, Newcastle this Saturday for a crunch Premier League clash.
Former City manager Jimmy Scoular led the Magpies to FA Cup success in 1955, beating Manchester City in the final at Wembley Stadium – and he will always be remembered with great affection by Bluebirds fans.
He grew up in a Scottish mining family and as a player, Scoular was described as ‘a footballing volcano, a fearsomely combative Scot who tackled like a runaway coal wagon.’
Manchester United’s Duncan Edwards regarded Scoular as ‘the finest tackler he ever saw’.
Scoular was a leader, a wing-half with a sublime passing ability who won the First Division title twice with Portsmouth after they spotted him in Royal Navy football when he was working on HMS Dolphin as a submarine engineer in Gosport.
He spent eight years with Portsmouth before being signed by Newcastle United in 1953 for a fee of £22,250.
Former Scottish international Scoular was appointed Bluebirds manager in 1964 and led them to seven Welsh Cup victories.
Cardiff loved life in Europe, even reaching the European Cup Winners Cup semi-finals in 1968 before losing 4-3 on aggregate against Hamburg.
Scoular had a traumatic start at Ninian Park and City went 12 games without a win, but they finished mid-table and the Scot continued his Bluebirds’ regeneration work.
Later in life, Scoular ran a guest house in Cardiff before retiring to live just outside the city.
My favourite Scoular story involved a flame-thrower.
The Ninian Park pitch was frozen and Scoular came up with the idea of borrowing a flame-thrower to melt the ice.
Harry Parsons, who spent 30 years with Cardiff City as scout, first team trainer, reserve team trainer, youth team coach and kitman, told me the story, saying: “Jimmy Scoular was the biggest character at the club. One day, when the Ninian Park pitch was frozen, he was desperate to get a match played.
“He asked ‘Can you drive a five-ton truck?’ I want you to go to Cowbridge and pick up a flame thrower I’ve agreed to loan. We can melt the ice with it’.
“A car would have done.
“Back at Ninian Park we fitted it up. The ice was inches thick at the Grange End and I kept telling him Jimmy it was useless, but he wouldn’t give up.
“Suddenly, though, somebody called him from the tunnel and as he swung round the flame thrower caught the nets and they started burning.
“That was it. The nets were ruined and the match had to be called off.”
Present . . .
Twins Josh and Jacob Murphy could go head-to-head for a second time when Neil Warnock’s Bluebirds travel North to Newcastle for a crunch Premier League clash at St James Park on Saturday.
Cardiff are fourth from bottom, just outside the relegation places and one point ahead of the Magpies.
It was honours even when Josh and Jacob played against each other for the first time, a Premier fixture at Cardiff City Stadium which ended goalless.
The twins speak every day via video call and seem to start every conversation in the same way.
“Hiiiya mate,” says Jacob, adding a funny wave.
Josh replies ‘Hiiiya mate’ with a similar flick of the hand.
The identical twins were born in Wembley, London and moved to Norfolk with their family at the age of 11 where parents, Maxine and John, run their Arbuckles restaurant, near Downham Market.
When they were at Norwich City, manager Chris Hughton made them wear different coloured boots so he could distinguish between the two of them.
They are 23-years-old, Josh has an apartment in Cardiff Bay and Jacob lives in Darras Hall, Northumberland, an area seven miles outside Newcastle which is popular with footballers.
They are 320 miles apart and Jacob says: “The toughest thing about coming to Newcastle was leaving Josh.
“Obviously, there was the odd time when we were apart, when we were sent on loan or away with England, but that was always temporary. It never felt as permanent as this.
“We’d always lived in the same house and now we’re at opposite ends of the country. It’s been hard and strange, but we speak every day, often several times a day. We are always making sure the other one is okay.
“Unless you have a twin, you don’t really know what that kind of connection is like. We are so in sync, we both love the same things, from toys to music and clothes.
“There were times last season when we lived together that we would get up for training, walk out of our bedrooms and we’d be wearing the same outfits, same shoes, same tops and same bottoms.
“We’d meet on the landing and laugh. We don’t finish each other’s sentences, but we know what the other one is going to say before they say it. He can be sat on the sofa and I’ll know what he is thinking.
“On the pitch we are telepathic. At Norwich, it was good. We really noticed when we won the FA Youth Cup together in 2014, beating Chelsea 4-2 in the final. We didn’t really understand why people thought it was strange. It was just normal practice for us. We just knew where the other would be or where they would move to.”
There is a video clip of Josh playing a 50-yard ball to Jacob in the FA Youth Cup final against Chelsea at Stamford Bridge without even looking.
“I had no right to do the pass, I just knew he would be there,” he says.
Newcastle were always the team supported by the Murphys because that was where his parents are originally from the city.
“My extended family live in Gateshead, which is only 20 minutes away from my house,” says Jacob. “When I first found out Newcastle wanted me, I was buzzing.
“They were the team we all supported, we didn’t have a choice. My nanna sent us the new strip every Christmas. My first game was against PSV Eindhoven in the Uefa Cup, Gary Speed scored the winner.
“When I climbed up the steps and saw St James’ Park for the first time, I was like wow, just wow.”
The first twins to play against each other at Premier level were Michael and Will Keane, who faced other in Burnley v Hull City on 10 September 2016 – the same day that Josh replaced Jacob to score a winner for Norwich against Cardiff.
Brothers who have faced each other in the Premier League:
Kolo and Yaya Toure
Anton and Rio Ferdinand
Jordan and Andre Ayew
Gary and Phil Neville
Michael and Andy Dawson
Michael and Will Keane
Future . . . .
Cardiff City’s youth team are gunning for a trophy double.
The young Bluebirds are top of the Professional Under-18 Development League, three points ahead of Ipswich Town with a game in hand, are through to Welsh Youth Cup quarter-finals.
Captain Sam Bowen, the son of former City playmaker Jason, and his team-mates are intent on lifting both trophies.
That won’t be straightforward because Swansea City have won the Welsh Cup for the last eight seasons and the last time Cardiff got their hands on the trophy was 12 years ago.
The Bluebirds did reach the final in 2015, but were edged out 3-1 by the Swans, while the rivals faced each other in last season’s final. They drew 1-1 at the Liberty Stadium after extra time and Swansea won the penalty shootout 3-2.
Stuttgart-born German goalkeeper Steven Benda, now aged 20 and still with the club, saved two Cardiff spot-kicks to clinch victory for Swansea.
Wrexham-born Daniel Griffiths, a Wales under-19 international who joined the Bluebirds from Liverpool this year, scored a hat-trick in Cardiff City’s 11-0 WYC third round win at Taffs Well.
Isaac Davies (2), Bowen (2), Kieron Evans (2), Laurence Wootton and Sam Parsons were the other Cardiff goalscorer.
Cardiff City: George Ratcliffe, Connor Davies, Ben Margetson, Ryan Reynolds (Jac Davies 65), Joel Bagan (Trystan Jones 65), Sam Bowen (capt), Jac Davies (Sam Parsons 65), Keenan Patten, Isaak Davies, Dan Griffiths (Connor Davies 73), Kieron Evans. Subs not used: Jordan Duffey (gk), Eli King, Ryan Kavanagh.
2018-19 FAW Youth Cup third round results: The New Saints 1, Newtown 0; Merthyr Town 6, Trefelin BGC 0; Pontardawe Town 0, Llanelli 1; Risca United 1, Cardiff Met 6; Swansea City 2, Aberystwyth Town 0; Taffs Well 0, Cardiff City 11; Connah’s Quay Nomads 2, Llandudno 4; Brickfield Rangers 1, Cefn Druids 3.
Welsh Youth Cup quarter-final draw (ties will be played on Sunday, February 3): Cardiff City vs Llanelli; TNS vs Cefn Druids; Swansea City vs Merthyr Town; Cardiff Met vs Llandudno.
Under-18 Professional Development League Two South Table
| Pos | Teams | MP | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | PTS |
| 1 | Cardiff City U18 | 16 | 11 | 1 | 4 | 33 | 15 | +18 | 34 |
| 2 | Ipswich Town U18 | 17 | 10 | 1 | 6 | 45 | 31 | +14 | 31 |
| 3 | Millwall U18 | 18 | 8 | 4 | 6 | 45 | 26 | +19 | 28 |
| 4 | Queens Park Rangers U18 | 17 | 8 | 3 | 6 | 34 | 27 | +7 | 27 |
| 5 | Charlton Athletic U18 | 17 | 7 | 3 | 7 | 30 | 32 | -2 | 24 |
| 6 | Bristol City U18 | 18 | 7 | 2 | 9 | 27 | 32 | -5 | 23 |
| 7 | Watford U18 | 18 | 6 | 4 | 8 | 35 | 38 | -3 | 22 |
| 8 | Crystal Palace U18 | 14 | 5 | 2 | 7 | 27 | 32 | -5 | 17 |
| 9 | Coventry City U18 | 15 | 4 | 3 | 8 | 19 | 38 | -19 | 15 |
| 10 | Colchester United U18 | 18 | 0 | 4 | 14 | 22 | 67 | -45 | 4 |
Remaining Cardiff City youth fixtures
January
Saturday 19 v Sheffield United (away, 11am)
Saturday 26 v Queens Park Rangers (home at Cardiff International Sports Campus, Leckwith, Noon)
February
Sunday 3: Cardiff City v Llanelli (Welsh Youth Cup quarter-finals)
Saturday 9 v Bristol City (home at Cardiff International Sports Campus, Leckwith, Noon)
Saturday 16 v Crystal Palace (away, 11am)
Saturday 23 v Coventry City (home at Cardiff International Sports Campus, Leckwith, 11.30am)
March
Saturday 2 v Ipswich Town (away, 11am)
March 9 v Nottingham Forest (home at Cardiff International Sports Campus, Leckwith, Noon)
March 16 v Leeds United (away, 11am)
March 23 v Bolton Wanderers (away, 11am)
March 30 v Sheffield Wednesday (home at Cardiff International Sports Campus, Leckwith, 11am)
April
Saturday 6 v Crewe Alexandra (away, 11am)
Saturday 13 v Burnley (home at Cardiff International Sports Campus, Leckwith, 11am)