Cardiff City and Blackburn Rovers first met over a century ago in 1922, and the fixture has since produced several notable games.
THE FIRST MEETING
City first met Rovers in the First Division in the 1921/22 season. However, the Bluebirds were struck with illness before the match, leaving them a player short. At that time City had a coach called George Latham, who joined the club in 1911 after playing for Stoke City and Liverpool as well as the Welsh national side.
Latham stayed with City until the outbreak of the First World War, when he became a Captain in the Royal Welch Fusiliers. After returning from the war, he came back to Ninian Park.
With City short of players at Ewood Park, Latham stepped up to play. At 41 years and one day old, he became the oldest player ever to appear for City, a record that still stands to this day. That afternoon the Bluebirds claimed both points with a 3-1 victory, thanks to goals from Len Davies (2) and William Grimshaw. It was a unique start to a fixture that has since been played more than 80 times.
HIGH SCORING MATCHES
Only a year on, City recorded their biggest victory over Rovers. They had lost 3-1 at Ewood Park the weekend before, but this time they were at home at Ninian Park and won 5-0, thanks to a hat-trick from Jimmy Gill and a double from our Club top scorer Len Davies. That match set the Bluebirds on an incredible goalscoring run: they followed it with another 5-0 against Newcastle United and a 6-1 victory over Chelsea only a few games later.
The highest-scoring match between the two sides isn't far away in the record books, either. City travelled to Lancashire after a disappointing start to the 1925/26 season, with only two wins in eight games. Their troubles didn't end there, as Rovers won a nine-goal thriller, 6-3, in front of more than 18,000 at Ewood Park. City's three goals, including efforts from Joseph Nicholson and Welshman George Beadles, weren't enough to end the poor start.
FA CUP SEMI FINAL
In 1925, City were chasing the FA Cup. A win over Leicester City in the quarter-final set up a semi-final against Blackburn Rovers. As semi-finals were played at neutral venues, the sides met at Meadow Lane, the home of Notts County. A late change saw Len Davies, who had a great record against Rovers, dropped for Joseph Nicholson, and manager Fred Stewart's decision was vindicated after only six minutes.
Nicholson headed the opening goal from inside the six-yard box after a goalmouth scramble, which sent the Bluebirds on their way to a 3-1 victory and made them the first Welsh side to reach an FA Cup Final. It wasn't to be on that occasion, as City lost 1-0 to Sheffield United at Wembley. Two years later, they became the first, and only, non-English side to lift the trophy.
BLUEBIRDS PROMOTION RUN
The sides met many times through the 1960s, 70s and early 80s, but a 2-1 win for Rovers in 1985 was the last meeting for 20 years, until the two sides faced off in an FA Cup tie in 2005. The next league meeting wasn't until 2012, when City were on the promotion charge. The first of that season's two matches was a 4-1 victory at Ewood Park. The game exploded into action after the interval: the Bluebirds led through Mark Hudson at the break, but Rovers found an equaliser before Craig Bellamy restored the lead, and two late goals secured their 14th victory of the season after 21 games.
The reverse fixture was just as enjoyable for the City faithful. City came into it with only one win in five, but they rediscovered their title-winning form and stormed to a 3-0 victory, with Peter Whittingham scoring the third - he would later play for Rovers himself. City completed a league double over Rovers for the first time since 1978/79, helping them on their way to the Championship title.
OWN GOAL NIGHTMARE
City were winless and goalless heading into their third match of the 2016/17 season under new manager Paul Trollope. It was a Wednesday night fixture at Cardiff City Stadium, and Trollope certainly had some help from Blackburn Rovers defender Shane Duffy in finding his first victory. After Declan John hit the post, Duffy had time to clear but instead stroked the rebound into his own unguarded net, the first of two own goals that evening.
Six minutes later, Peter Whittingham whipped a free-kick into the box that eluded the head of Sean Morrison but not Duffy, whose defensive header found the bottom corner of his own goal and put the hosts two goals ahead. Rovers did pull one back, but it wasn't enough to stop the Bluebirds claiming their first win of the season. Duffy's eventful night didn't quite end there, as he picked up a second yellow card for kicking the ball away in the dying moments and was sent off, though he still received a standing ovation from the City supporters.