Cardiff City striker Kenneth Zahore is continuing to press his claims for a recall to the first team by firing in the goals for the club’s U23 and development side. Expensive new Dai Sport signing Terry Phillips, who covered the Bluebirds for over 20 years with WalesOnline, watched Zahore give Warnock another reminder on Monday night.
Cardiff City U23 4, Queens Park Rangers U23 0
Danish striker Kenneth Zohore, signed from Cardiff City’s sister club KV Kortrijk, made his mark for the Bluebirds’ under-23 Development team against Queens Park Rangers.
The 6ft 3ins striker has not figured in the first team since Neil Warnock became manager, but he scored two goals on a rainswept evening at Cardiff City Stadium to help keep his team in the title race.
Zahore played in five matches at the start of the season under former manager Paul Trollope, but failed to score. He has since been unable to convince his successor he deserves further opportunity in the Championship as Warnock tries to guide his team away from the relegation zone.
Cardiff are second in the U23 table after goals from Zohore (2), Australian-born substitute Peter Skapetis and central defender Semi Ajayi.
The 6ft 3ins Zohore, aged 22, reminds me of a young Josh Magennis, who started his Cardiff life as a goalkeeper and developed into a more than decent striker.
Magennis could look awkward, even clumsy at times, but was a superb athlete who learned quickly, became a Northern Ireland international and now plays for Charlton Athletic.
Zohore, who started his playing career with Copenhagen and then moved to Fiorentina, is a powerful centre-forward who is, without doubt, still learning, but has the potential to carve out a decent playing career.
Whether that is with Cardiff City is going to be answered over the next couple of months, but with manager Warnock intent on signing a new striker in January his prospects of breaking through look slim.
Former Cardiff players Craig Bellamy and Steve Jenkins watched the win against Rangers, who trailed by only one goal at half-time, but found themselves battling for survival after the break.
City included nine players with first team experience, some of them on loan, and they were too strong for Rangers.
Lex Immers headed against a post during the second half, while Tommy O’Sullivan brought a flying save from the QPR goalkeeper with a header from Declan John’s cross.
Then, Belgian teenager Marco Weymans, who went on as a 76th minute substitute for Zohore, blazed over the bar with only the keeper to beat.
Cardiff City: L O’Reilly; A Baker, T James (capt), S Ajayi, D Tutonda (P Skapetis 58); T O’Sullivan, T Wharton, E Huws, D John; L Immers (M Southam 67), K Zohore (M Weymans 76). Subs not used: D Rees, S Coughlan (gk).