BOXING DAY PREVIEW | BRENTFORD vs CARDIFF CITY
Match Previews
26th December
Cardiff City travel along the M4 for their fix of Boxing Day football on Monday, facing Brentford at Griffin Park in a 1pm kick-off.
THE OPPOSITION
Brentford have enjoyed a mixed December thus far, with head coach, Dean Smith, overseeing two wins and two defeats.
The month got off to a far from ideal start when the Bees lost 5-0 to Norwich City at Carrow Road. They recovered well from that defeat though, and went on to win their next two games, first beating Burton Albion 2-1 before seeing off Bristol City, thanks to Maxime Colin’s solitary strike.
Last time out, however, Brentford went down 1-0 to Leeds United at Elland Road, with Kyle Bartley grabbing a late winner for the Whites.
The Bluebirds will have to watch out for striker Scott Hogan on Boxing Day. The Englishman has thirteen Championship goals to his name thus far, making him the third top scorer in the league behind Glenn Murray and Dwight Gayle.
CLUB CONNECTIONS
Cardiff winger Kadeem Harris had a spell on loan with the Bees during their 2013/14 League One campaign. Kadeem got his loan off to a flying start, scoring on his debut in a 3-1 win over Colchester United.
Former City fan-favourite, Leo Fortune West, also had a spell with Brentford, joining them in 1998. Leo was sold the following season to Rotherham United before arriving at Ninian Park in 2000. The big striker would go on to play nearly 100 games for the Bluebirds and experienced two promotions.
Others to have recently worn both Brentford and Cardiff colours include Simon Moore, Tommy Smith, Ben Nugent and Tom Adeyemi.
MEMORABLE MEETING
BEES FACTS
followed him down the tunnel for a second bookable offence with a minute of normal time remaining. Yet City held firm in the face of immense pressure to seal an impressive win. Macheda was first sent off, before Kadeem Harris City’s defence of their lead became progressively more difficult when
net, to give his side the lead. That strike would later be voted City’s goal of the 2014/15 campaign. Brentford noticed the ‘keeper off his line and pulled off an incredible chip that nestled in the back of the Alex Revell Then, with nearly seventy minutes on the clock,
to stroke home the leveler. Harlee Dean and defender David Button capitalised on a collision between Bees ‘keeper Federico Macheda The second half was a different story, however, as the Bluebirds came out swinging. First
. Simon Moore goal – the striker pouncing on a spill from ‘keeper Andre Gray The Bluebirds went behind midway through the first half thanks to an
Cardiff City travelled to Griffin Park on 14th March 2015 and managed to carve out a 2-1 win under extremely testing circumstances. Griffin Park travelled to Cardiff City
- The Bees were founded in 1889
- Brentford have been runners up in the Football League Trophy Final on three occasions, most recently in the 2010/11 season when they lost 1-0 to Carlisle at Wembley.
- City’s Boxing Day hosts finished in ninth position in the Championship last season. One place and three points behind the Bluebirds.
DON'T MISS A MOMENT!
LISTEN: Supporters can listen in live on Cardiff City Player HD* for all the action from Brentford vs City.
WATCH: Extended highlights of the match will be available to subscribers of Cardiff City Player HD*
SOCIAL: Live updates from Griffin Park will come via our official Twitter account, @CardiffCityFC.
*Search ‘Cardiff City’ on the App Store and Google Play Store to view Cardiff City Player HD on Smart Phones, with content available to subscribers 24/7.
