03/05/2012 Match of the Day Wales

Cardiff City are back on the road to Wembley, three months after that

2010, defeat in the championship final. 2011, defeat in the semi-

finals. Will it be third time lucky for Cardiff City? West Ham United

missed out on an automatic promotion spot by just two points.

Kenny Miller's last: August got the Bluebirds of two-way fly up. But in

March, Kevin Nolan and George McCart be hammered Cardiff City.

We've got to get ourselves right. Unusual atmosphere is that the

play-offs a bring and we've got to be able to handle it and deliver.

The players have been banned from social Letwin as they prepare for

three finals. They have team matches coming up. Our focus is on

that. Cardiff City have spent the last nine seasons in the

championship. The goals of Peter Whittingham, Joe Mason and Kenny

Miller. Plenty of Premier League experience in Sam Allardyce's

scored. They are the favourites, but with that tag comes the

first championship play-off semi- final of 2012. Cardiff City and

West Ham. Let's join our commentators. Kevin Ratcliffe and

line-up. On the bench, Anthony Gerrard features. Jack Collinson is

in the West Ham line-up. Gary O'Neil will be familiar to

Cardiff's supporters, he had a loan manager, Malcolm McKay, told his

team, play the game, not the occasion. -- Malky MacKay. But it's

such a big occasion for the Bluebirds. First touch for Darcy

Blake, in for the injured Mark by Taylor. Mason gives chase,

Tomkins gets it away. It looks like Mason is playing a little bit

bar. I think that's a deflection for a corner. It's a great shot.

was unlucky not to get that season because of injury. Good

clearance. A chance for Miller. Could save by Robert green it.

is a fantastic effort from Kenny Miller. He knows if it comes back

he has a chance to control it, and he does. He strikes it great.

MacKay will be pleased with his Premier League in 2001. -- took

and follows up. It is the Welshman, Jack Collison. This is very poor

the back, he gets in front of him and really shouldn't be getting

there. He reacted to the Save as well. There's only one way Sam

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Lawrence went to ground in the penalty area. No chance of getting

the ball. He goes down a bit too good shot, Miller. Just wide.

been a long time coming for Cardiff. Kenny Miller comes from deep in

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midfield. He just can't get enough West Ham have plenty of numbers. So

they go back again to start once job. Counter-attacking style,

lending -- letting the centre-backs have the ball. Hudson giving it

away. The ball was onside. Good deflected in. It's a second for

West Ham are. It's a second for Jack Collison. Cardiff are out on

their feet. It's not even half-time in the first tie. It comes off

Lawrence. Jack Collison has hit it. Is it going goal would bound? And

nice touch at the near post by Vaz Te. It's out by Turner. Then the

strike by Jack Collison. Deflected off the head of Lawrence. The Kibo

rooted to the spot. He's going one way. The ball deflected into the

other corner. That is a bitter blow from Cardiff. It might have been

going in any way, it was a sweet Carlton Cole gets there but it's

just wide. This is a great save from Marshall. Equally, it's a good

cross and good header from Carlton Cole. That might just keep the tie

Cardiff City. And it is a Welshman that has done the damage. Jack

colours and with two goals, at the second a deflected goal, but he

won't mind. Cardiff City kick off this second half looking for a hero.

Just to get themselves back in this pressure on with a Gunnarsson long

throw. They desperately need a goal early in this there -- a second

opportunity for Peter Whittingham. get through they still trace back.

-- chase back. Whittingham with the Carlton Cole. That had everybody

beaten. There was a little bit of a foot was high. It's a yellow card

for Mark Noble. Uncompromising. don't know if he has caught

Whittingham but he has won the ball. People keep saying, 10 or 20 years

ago that was allowed, but now you bar. He holds his head in his hands.

I am wondering, did he need a touch? It was a great header back

by Turner. Could he have let it come across his body? He strikes it

on that occasion. Marshall had to get out quickly. He did not get the

ball, but he was caught. I think he was lucky. I thought Kevin Nolan

got a touch on the ball. It is a booking for Kevin Nolan.

anything, the keeper fouled Nolan. You just can't make it out at the

maybe sort it out altogether. Kevin Nolan with the header wide. I think

it could have been offside. It was lovely play by Cole. He was onside

but he just got too much on the ball. If he had taken a little bit

out of that and directed it towards goal, I don't think the keeper had

tonight, Tomkins. His recovery is very good and he has stood up to

lethal from 68 yards, but not them. He just could not get in between,

to get enough on the ball and direct it towards the goal. It was

a lovely cross from Gunnarsson. got the better of Reid but could

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fairy tale. That was a great technique. A great ball in by

Gunnarsson. Earnshaw was looking for glory. The technique was great

but he could not get over it enough. Gaulle side, working really hard in

on for Aron Gunnarsson. Indecision. Gunnarsson took control. He decided

to unleash the shot, but he has to hit the target. He could not. They

are getting closer, are they? Or are they getting further away?

Lawrence is screaming that he too late? There was a bit of an

infringement. There was a little bit of a touch. It has been a

really professional job by West Ham United. Can you see any way back?

Very difficult. West Ham, head and shoulders. They could so it up if

they get a third. The ball was across the six-yard box from Mickey

Maynard. Still, Cardiff cannot get a sniff of possession. What her job

West Ham have done in injury-time. Cardiff City's play-off hopes

already severely damaged. Jack Collison scored twice on his return

to Wales. Really, the Hammers are in total control, ready for the

second leg on Monday night. It is a Herculean task, caused by that man,

Jack Collison, for marquee McKay's West Ham United have taken an iron

grip on this encounter. Cardiff Obviously it was. Again, we have to

not concede bad goals. The first one was a bad goal. The second was

complete luck in terms of it hitting somebody and going in the

other direction. In the second half, we came out on the front foot and

had three or four good chances that on another day could have dropped

in. It is nice to get the goals, from a personal perspective, but it

was a team performance tonight. Everyone worked their socks off.

Carlton Cole was magnificent, causing them problems. It was a

good team performance and we are halfway now and in a good position.

Very pleased with the overall performance and pleased to not

concede a goal in the second half. That would have lifted Cardiff and

it may have ended up being a draw. But it was a thoroughly deserved

win for our players, and it is only half time, as far as the leg is

concerned. But it is a great platform for us to build on on

Monday. They are a good team. They are not where they are for no

reason. They have good players and they caused us problems. It will be

tough at Upton Park but we are looking forward to it. We have to

give everything we can. We have done all season. It will not change

on Monday. I do you have to lift them before Monday? It is the

second leg of a semi-final, so no lifting needed.

A huge task for Cardiff City. Nathan Blake and Iwan Roberts are

here to look back on a night that started well for Cardiff City but

got worse. It was disappointing. For the first five was six minutes,

Cardiff were OK but not great. After conceding a goal, they seemed

to die away and it was all West Ham. Getting the early goal in the

second half seemed to kill the time. Marquee McKay trying to put a

positive spin on it, but the reality is that West Ham ran it

tonight. They were the better side, no two ways about it. They have

good players. Looking at the game tonight, I don't think in the first

half Cardiff could cope with the power, pace and strength that West

Ham had. They scored an early goal and that really knocked the Cardiff

City players and I don't think they recovered from that. He sent his

team out to keep it tight for the first 20 minutes but the early goal

did knock them. So many players in the Cardiff team have looked

comfortable all season. What happened to them tonight? A mixture

of nerves and the opposition. The opposition were just better. Player

for player, they handle the occasion better. They did not give

the midfield time. Cardiff were a bit embarrassed. Kenny Miller was

coming too deep, which made Gunnarsson drop too deep. West Ham

seemed to have time on the ball in midfield. When Cardiff had the ball,

they were closing them down so quickly that they found it

difficult to get out. Allardyce got his tactics spot-on. He did. His

top players performed well. The three boys in midfield played well.

Carlton Cole can be a handful when he is that it, and he was at it

tonight. He gave them a really tough time. They played direct and

you have to cope with that. Cardiff did not cope with it as well as

they should have done. Was that the difference, the fact that Carlton

Cole bullied Mark Hudson and Ben Turner? He is an England

international. There are lots of factors. You have to take into

account that Cardiff's squad is so small and West Ham's is so big. You

had Carlton Cole against the centre halves. I would not say he bullied

them, but he had a better game than both of them. And the three

midfielders, it was the same. But Cardiff were playing into West

Ham's hands, because they played long balls from the back up to the

front players. Mason and Miller are very small. All over the park, they

had Cardiff figured and they won a lot of second balls. And lots of

Premier League experience in the West Ham squad. They have taken a

massive gamble. They lost Scott Parker but they kept the nucleus of

the team they got relegated last year. He has added Kevin Nolan.

They are paying big wages. It is a big gamble for West Ham but it

looks as if it is going to pay off. Wrexham have also been in semi-

final play-off action this evening. They have it all to do, like

Cardiff City on Monday. Luton were The second leg is at the racecourse

on Monday, kick-off at 4:30pm. We will be at Upton Park on Monday to

bring you the best of the action from the Championship play-off

semi-final second leg. West Ham United have made two goal advantage.

Can you see Cardiff getting back into it? It will be difficult. I

don't think anyone would say it would be easy for Cardiff. If they

can get the first goal, the important thing is getting the

first goal. If Cardiff get it, the West Ham fans could get nervous,

players could get nervous, psychologically they will be weaker

and Cardiff could have an opportunity. But they have to get

the first goal, as simple as that. A Cardiff City have won at Upton

Park. But it is a big ask, different to the first day of the

season back in August. How does he pick his team up? He has a tough

job in picking them up but he will do. They have to be positive and

play at a high tempo. And they need the bit of luck that they had on

the opening day of the season. And as Nathan said, the first goal will

be vital. If Cardiff get it, it is game on. If West Ham get it, it is

over, am afraid. Thank you both. Jack Collison Hammers the Bluebirds.