Things that were bad today

Not necessarily in order…

1. Wales

Well, I said Ireland would win and would score 26 points. But I didn’t expect this sort of humiliation – we were thoroughly beaten in every aspect of the game (except perhaps goalkicking – 1/1 for Leigh Halfpenny. Hooray). As far as I can tell, it was Wales’s biggest Six Nations defeat since 2006, and we’ve won three championships since then. This was the same sort of defeat we used to suffer in the final days at the old Lansdowne Road in the early 2000s, and if last week was a bit disappointing, today was a total shocker. We’d need to win at Twickenham to have a chance of winning the championship, but that hardly looks likely after such a rudderless performance.

Coach Warren Gatland says Wales’ display in their 6N loss in Ireland was “one of the worst” http://t.co/xWbrZYMSvG pic.twitter.com/HthIwc0XVT

— BBC Wales Sport (@BBCWalesSport) February 8, 2014

 

You have to credit Ireland as well, though. Worryingly, they’re looking formidable under the stewardship of Joe Schmidt.

El Llasico: Cardiff v Swansea prediction

It’s an hour until kick off in the first-ever Premier League El Llasico (© Huw Silk).

This probably won’t go down very well, but I’ve got to go for:

The much-anticipated all-Welsh Premier League derby is at Cardiff City Stadium

 

 

Cardiff City 1-2 Swansea City

Newport County and Wrexham to contest Conference play-off final

English football has been dominated by Welsh teams this season (sort of), with Swansea lifting the League Cup, Cardiff City the Championship and Wrexham the FA Trophy.

And now another side from Wales will win silverware at the home of English football, with Wrexham and Newport County both making the Blue Square Bet Premier (Conference) play-off final as they battle for a place in League Two next year.

Congratulations 2 Wrexham and Newport County on reaching Wembley for Blue Square Play-Off Final. What a season for Welsh club football!

— CCFCSupportersTrust (@CCST1927) April 28, 2013

Wrexham beat Kidderminster 3-1 away thanks to strikes from Brett Ormerod, Joe Clarke and a Neil Ashton penalty to triumph 5-2 on aggregate, while a first-half Christian Jolley goal Newport beat Grimsby 1-0, to win 2-0 over two legs.

So at 3pm next Sunday, the two sides will meet at Wembley Stadium to determine which will move up to the Football League.

It will also mean that the first three trophies of the season will all have been taken back to Wales.

And next year we’ll have two Welsh sides in the Premier League and Swansea City plying their trade in the Europa League.

Cardiff City promoted: looking forward to El Llasico next season

Thought I’d better get my pun on record early before anyone else tries to claim it.

Stuff Barcelona-Real Madrid, Cardiff’s visit to the Liberty Stadium, and Swansea’s to Cardiff City Stadium, will be the epics to look forward to.

El Llasico.

FA Trophy final: Wrexham 1-1 Grimsby (4-1 on penalties)

It’s getting hard to keep up with an almost unprecedented level of success for Welsh sport, with football, rugby and cycling in Wales all competing to trump the others.

But, after yesterday’s FA Trophy win at Wembley for Wrexham, football could have the upper hand again.

Andy Morrell’s side currently sit third in the Football Conference (one place ahead of Welsh rivals Newport County), but yesterday’s shoot-out win over Grimsby in front of more than 35,000 people at the home of English football ensures that, following Swansea City’s 5-0 win over Bradford City in the League Cup final last month, every English trophy won so far this season has gone to a Welsh club.

With Newport and Wrexham challenging at the top of the Conference, and Swansea City settling into the top half of the Premier League – and with their sights set on a European campaign next season – this season would already be a success for Welsh football even without the national side’s 2-1 win in Scotland.

Oh, and Cardiff City, who sit on top of the Championship, with a nine-point automatic promotion cushion. Barring a spectacular (though, for Cardiff, hardly atypical) late-season collapse – if Cardiff were to reach the play-off final and make it a hat-trick of Welsh teams at Wembley this season, it would be very disappointing from their point of view – it could turn into just about the perfect season for Welsh football.

Swansea City 5-0 Bradford City

Congratulations to the Swans, who are the first Welsh side to win a major trophy in the English system since 1927.

Five nil against a side ranked three tiers below them might not seem like a particularly noteworthy result, but don’t forget the calibre of teams, including three in the Premier League, which Bradford have sent packing on the way to the final.

Swansea have now won their last two visits to Wembley, going one better than bitter rivals Cardiff City managed last year.

They’ll be in Europe next season, which will be fun. It’s great to see both Brian Laudrup picking up where Brendan Rodgers left off at the Liberty Stadium, and Swansea avoiding an outbreak of “second season syndrome”, which often hits promoted teams 12 months into their time in a higher tier than they are used to.

I remember some Cardiff fans predicting Swansea would, after their success in the Championship play-off final in 2011, be in the top flight for four seasons – summer, autumn, winter and spring.

Those jokes ring hollow now Swansea are League Cup champions and firmly established in the Premier League – although Cardiff’s 2-1 win at Wolves today only extends the Bluebirds’ lead at the top of the Championship, and heightening the prospect of a couple of spicy Welsh derbies next season.