Two players swapped Stoke City for South Wales in the summer of 2001, and both would go on to write their names in the Cardiff City history books.
Our story starts back in 1996. After a successful loan move from Middlesbrough, the Potters brought in midfielder Graham Kavanagh on a permanent deal. In his first full season, he made 41 appearances in the second tier and scored four goals. Crucially, Kavanagh was the man who scored the final goal at the Victoria Ground, which was the oldest UK stadium still in operation before its demolition in 1997.
After their stadium move, the Potters were in the market for a striker. Peter Thorne was brought in from Swindon Town to lead the line for the Staffordshire side. It was Stoke City’s first season at the Britannia (now bet365) Stadium, and it was Kavanagh who had the honour of scoring the Potters’ first goal at their new home. However, it wasn’t the dream season Stoke were hoping for; despite 16 goals from Thorne and ten from Kavanagh, the Potters were ultimately relegated to the Second Division.
A poor 1998/99 was followed by a much stronger 1999/2000 season, with a lot of credit going to Thorne, who had found some real form. He netted 30 times, with Kavanagh contributing another very healthy ten goals from midfield which helped guide the Potters to the Play-Offs. Although they were defeated by Gillingham, ending their promotion dream, Thorne’s remarkable season also included him scoring the winner in the Football League Trophy Final, in a 2-1 victory over Bristol City.
Both Kavanagh and Thorne continued to be regulars for the Potters in the following season. Thorne was their top scorer again, as Stoke found themselves in another Play-Off fight, but this time suffered defeat at the hands of Walsall. Kavanagh made over 200 appearances for the Potters and found the back of the net 45 times during his time in Staffordshire, while Thorne scored 65 times in his 158 appearances.
Kavanagh was the first to make the switch to the Welsh capital. His transfer in July 2001 saw the Bluebirds break their record transfer fee, breaching the £1m mark for the first time. Two months later, he was followed by Thorne. The striker’s transfer broke the two-month old record set by Kav, as Thorne joined for a reported £1.7m. Upon arriving at Ninian Park, he said: "It's really exciting. It's a great club with a great squad and great fans, so let's hope we can get promotion. It definitely helps going to a new club when you know somebody. Obviously I have got Kav here, and that'll help me get to know the players better."
There were contrasting fortunes for both players during their first season at Ninian Park. Thorne suffered with injury and could only manage eight goals, while on the other hand Kavanagh continued his scoring form and finished the season as City’s top scorer, with goals including that famous free-kick against Leeds United in our historic FA Cup victory and the winner in the FAW Premier Cup Final over Swansea City at Ninian Park.
City reached the Play-Offs, but it was Stoke who defeated the Bluebirds over two legs on their way to promotion. A 2-1 victory for City when they visited the Britannia looked to be enough, but James O’Connor silenced a packed Ninian with a late goal to send the tie to extra-time, where the visitors went on to secure victory.
2002/03 was Lennie Lawrence’s first full season in charge of City, and with Thorne fully fit alongside Robert Earnshaw there was some real firepower up top for the Bluebirds. Kavanagh continued to play a crucial part in midfield despite only scoring four goals, but that was more than made up for by Earnshaw and Thorne scoring 52 times between them.
Lawrence guided City to another Play-Off finish, facing Bristol City in the semi-finals. A single Thorne goal at Ninian Park was enough to send the Bluebirds to the Final, which would be played just down the road at the Millennium Stadium. Over 66,000 watched on as Queens Park Rangers, who had beaten Oldham Athletic to reach the final, took on the Bluebirds in what must have felt like an away game. Rangers took Lawrence’s side to extra time, but substitute Andy Campbell scored late on to confirm that City would play Division One football in the 2003/04 season.
City finished 13th in 2003/04 to solidify their status as a Division One side. Kav and Thorne had another positive season in South Wales, which included a league double over the Potters, where Thorne came back to haunt his old side at the Britannia Stadium by scoring a hat-trick in a 3-2 City victory. However, the forward suffered a fractured foot, which saw him miss the final three months of the season. The Bluebirds continued to solidify their place in the second tier, but both players would soon depart. The end of the 2004/05 season saw Kavanagh made a move to Wigan Athletic and Thorne switched South Wales for Norfolk when he joined Norwich City.
It was the start of a new era for the Bluebirds under Dave Jones, with many of the 2003 promotion winners moving onto pastures new. However, plenty of them, including Kavanagh and Thorne, certainly made their mark here in South Wales, with memories of their successes being looked upon fondly by City supporters.