With My Little Pick and Shovel - A Cardiff City Story

RACE TO THE PLAY OFFS
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Cardiff City and Fulham enter the final day knowing a point is good enough to secure a play off spot

The only team who can overtake either club is Nottingham Forest, currently 3 points adrift of the Bluebirds, Forest travel to 18th placed MK Dons in hope of an all important victory

Cardiff City have made multiple changes to the side who beat Sheffield Wednesday at Hillsborough on Saturday due to a virus that swept the squad, side lining David Marshall, top scorer Sam Vokes, Dutchman Lex Immers and Welsh international Tom Lawrence amongst others

This has led to manager Matthew Hawkins giving débuts to young striker Danny Sampson and on loan goalkeeper Danny Ward

What a twist as we enter the final day
 
THE FINAL DAY
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CARDIFF CITY V BIRMINGHAM CITY

FULHAM V BOLTON WANDERERS
MILTON KEYNES DONS V NOTTINGHAM FOREST

Cardiff City team to play Birmingham
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Danny Ward, Declan John, Mikkel Duelund, Rhys Healey and Danny Sampson all come into replace the Cardiff City players struck down by a virus who aren't fit enough for the full 90, it's going to be one **** of a ride at the Cardiff City Stadium
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KICK-OFF
27th Minute-GOAL! MK Dons have struck first! A goal from Rob Hall has given Cardiff and Fulham a bit of breathing space! 1-0

Fulham 0-0 Bolton
Cardiff 0-0 Birmingham

MK Dons 1-0 Nottingham Forest


45th Minute-GOAL! Another one at Stadium:MK and this time for Forest! Jamie Ward has equalised for Nottingham to send them in level at half-time! 1-1

HALF-TIME SCORES
Fulham 0-0 Bolton

Cardiff 0-0 Birmingham

MK Dons 1-1 Nottingham Forest


53rd Minute-GOAL! Another one at Stadium:MK and one that will delight Forest fans! Henri Lansbury has scored to put Forest 1 point off Cardiff and Fulham! 2-1

Fulham 0-0 Bolton
Cardiff 0-0 Birmingham

MK Dons 1-2 Nottingham Forest


55th Minute-GOAL! Disaster for Fulham as Bolton's Zach Clough puts them ahead, this means both Forest and Cardiff leapfrog Fulham, leaving them in 7th
Fulham 0-1 Bolton
Cardiff 0-0 Birmingham

MK Dons 1-2 Nottingham Forest


81st Minute-GOAL! GOAL AT CRAVEN COTTAGE AND IT'S A SECOND FOR ZACH CLOUGH! 2-0 Bolton! Fulham need a Birmingham goal
Fulham 0-2 Bolton
Cardiff 0-0 Birmingham

MK Dons 1-2 Nottingham Forest

81st Minute-GOAL! NO! Birmingham go so close to taking the lead at the Cardiff City Stadium, still 0-0
Fulham 0-2 Bolton
Cardiff 0-0 Birmingham

MK Dons 1-2 Nottingham Forest


82nd Minute-Corner for Birmingham, headed goaldwards... OFF THE LINE, now Cardiff counter, it's Gunter, to substitute Jamie Bird, to another sub in Rhys Cook, Gunter again, ball in.. DUELUND!!!! 1-0 CARDIFF CITY AND THE ROOF COMES OFF THE STADIUM!!
Fulham 0-2 Bolton
Cardiff 1-0 Birmingham
MK Dons 1-2 Nottingham Forest

85th Minute-GOAL! Heartbreak for Forest as former Cardiff City man Alex Revell equalises for the Dons! 2-2! Have Fulham lucked their way into the play offs?

Fulham 0-2 Bolton
Cardiff 1-0 Birmingham

MK Dons 2-2 Nottingham Forest


90th Minute-GOAL!! GOAL! GOAL! GOAL! I CAN'T BELIEVE IT! Left-Back Bojan Jokic has scored for Forest! 3-2 and Forest are in the play offs!
Fulham 0-2 Bolton
Cardiff 1-0 Birmingham

MK Dons 2-3 Nottingham Forest

FULL-TIME
Fulham 0-2 Bolton

Cardiff 1-0 Birmingham

MK Dons 2-3 Nottingham Forest


Fulham blow it, a depleted Cardiff battle to beat Birmingham and Forest win in dramatic fashion
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Preston, Huddersfield and Charlton go down whilst Wednesday and Burnley go the other way

We will play Hull in the play off semi final
 
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SKY BET CHAMPIONSHIP PLAY OFF SEMI FINAL
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Cardiff City v Hull City
Nottingham Forest v QPR

PLAY OFF SEMI FINAL 1ST LEG
CARDIFF CITY V HULL CITY

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Huge match in front of over 32,000 at the Cardiff City Stadium tonight, Hull only bringing 500 though, shame

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A disappointing draw which leaves it all to play for at Hull on Thursday, Sam Vokes held his nerve to slot home his penalty before Hull equalised with their only shot on target, Mikkel Duelund hit the bar with a long shot 5 minutes from time, so close

Cardiff City 1-1 Hull City
Nottingham Forest 1-1 QPR

PLAY OFF SEMI FINAL 2ND LEG
HULL CITY V CARDIFF CITY

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Away to Hull, I expect defeat

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We took Hull all the way but unfortunately they were too strong for us and won it in extra time, evenly-matched game but we just couldn't break them down, Diomande scored the winner in the 104th minute following a mistake from Joe Ralls

AGGREGATE SCORES
Hull City 2-1 Cardiff City
QPR 4-3 Nottingham Forest

PLAY OFF FINAL
QPR 2-3 Hull City

 
Amazing turnaround to reach the playoffs mate, no shame in losing once you'd made it that far! Great stuff, hopefully you'll be in the thick of the promotion race from the start of next season :)
 
Amazing turnaround to reach the playoffs mate, no shame in losing once you'd made it that far! Great stuff, hopefully you'll be in the thick of the promotion race from the start of next season :)
Thanks mate, in a way I'm glad we didn't go up because I don't think the squad is good enough
 
END OF SEASON
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A pretty decent season, finishing 5th in the league despite a poor October, our signins played very well and I hope to keep some of the loanees for another season

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We used 34 players this season, the highest in the league, not sure if its a good thing or a bad thing

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Chris Gunter won Player of the Season, which I sort of agree with, Jonny Wiliams was vital this season and bagged the Young Player of the Season award, he was also hailed as the Signing of the Season

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Sam Vokes was top scorer with a massive 26 goals in 48 appearances all competitions, Chris Gunter had the highest average rating with 7.40 and had the highest amount of assists with 11, he also made his way onto the Championship Team of the Season bench, Aron Gunnarsson had the best pass completion % and Jonny Williams won the most Man of the Match awards

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I've been given £6m to spend, thank you Vincent!

AROUND ENGLAND
Premier League

Winners-Manchester City
Champions League-Man City, Tottenham, Arsenal, Manchester United, Liverpool (EL Winners)
Europa League-Chelsea, Bournemouth, Leicester (LC Winners)
Relegated-West Brom, Aston Villa, Sunderland

Championship
Winners-Sheffield Wednseday
Promoted-Wednesday, Burnley, Hull (PO)
Play Offs-QPR, Hull, Cardiff, Nottingham Forest
Relegated-Preston, Huddersfield, Charlton

League 1

Winners-Millwall
Promoted-Millwall, Wigan, Walsall (PO)
Play Offs-Peterbrough, Doncaster, Walsall, Coventry
Relegated-Burton Albion, Crewe, Shrewsbury, Rochdale

League 2
Winners-Luton
Promoted-Luton, AFC Wimbledon, Northampton, Cambridge (PO)
Play Offs-Plymouth, Wycombe, Carlisle, Cambridge
Relegated-Barnet, York

League Cup Final
Leicester City 4-1 Manchester United

FA Cup Final
Arsenal 4-1 Manchester City

EUROPE

Bundesliga
Winners-Borussia Dortmund
Champions League-Dortmund, Bayern Munich, Leverkusen, Schalke
Europa League-Monchengladbach, Wolfsburg, Mainz

La Liga
Winners-Real Madrid
Champions League-Real, Atletico, Barcelona, Valencia
Europa League-Ateltic Bilbao, Sevilla, Villarreal

Champions League Final
Juventus 0-2 Barcelona

Europa League Final
Valencia 0-4 Liverpool
 
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LIVERPOOL DUO EXTEND LOANS
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Cardiff City have today announced that centre half Tiago Ilori and midfielder Jordan Rossiter have extended their loan deals with Cardiff City
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The duo, who helped Cardiff to a surprising 5th place in the Championship last season are said to have enjoyed their time under Cardiff City manager Matthew Hawkins last season and that it made sense to extend their loan deals

This means that the duo will be at Cardiff until the end of the 2016/17 season, which is when Ilori's contract with parent club Liverpool runs out
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Cardiff were also said to be interested in re-signing midfielder Jonny Williams, but Crystal Palace rejected their offer

Cardiff City have also confirmed the signing of French forward Fresnel Diba from FC Dieppe for £5,750, he will join the club on the 1st of July 2016
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CITY BAG WONDERKIDS

Cardiff City have today announced that they have completed deals to sign some of the hottest properties in world football

Cardiff have spent just over £1m on 4 youngsters whom they hope will make a huge difference in the future

First up is Serbian striker Dusan Perovic, who signed for Cardiff from Partizan Belgrade for £500k, despite Real Madrid having a bid accepted also, the 17 year old will join on the 9th of January 2017
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The second youngster to sign for City is 16 year old Georgian left-back, Shota Bergadze for a measly £12,000
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The Torpedo Kutaisi full-back will join City on the 1st of July 2017

Cardiff ventured out of Europe with their next 2 signings, signing Colombian midfielder Leonardo Blanco and Costa Rican winger Olger Gamboa for a combined fee of £500,000

Blanco, 17, will join the Bluebirds on the 1st of January 2017, despite interest from clubs such as AC Milan and Porto
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The Atletico Nacional playmaker, hailed as the future of Colombian football, is seen by many as the natural successor to ageing midfielder Peter Whittingham

The 4th signing, winger Older Gamboa, is also regarded in world football, having been chased by numerous Premier League clubs before deciding on Cardiff City
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The 16 year old Costa Rican will join Cardiff from current club Saprissa for £375,000 on the 1st of January 2018
 
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CARDIFF SIGN FOUR

Cardiff City have kicked off the summer transfer window by bringing in 4 players for a total outlay of £105,000

The first of these signings shown off to the press and City fans were young strikers Fresnel Diba and Mark Kennedy

Diba, 16, signed from French fourth division side FC Dieppe for £5,000 and manager Matthew Hawkins has high hopes for the youngster
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"He's brave, young, has a good first touch and can finish, I expect to see great things from this lad"

The second striker brought in was 16 year old Scotsman Mark Kennedy

Kennedy, signed from Dundee United for £100,000 grabbed headlines when he became the youngster goal scorer in Dundee United history with his strike against Inverness at the age of 16 years and 253 days
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"Mark can dribble and knows where the goal is, £100,000 is a bargain"

The last 2 players introduced were midfielders Yaser Kasim and Nick Powell who were both signed on frees after their contracts at Swindon and Manchester United expired

25 year old Iraq international Kasim had been on Cardiff's radar for some time after Cardiff had a £1m bid rejected in January, Hawkins was delighted to have got his man
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"He's a great passer of the ball and his vision is up there with the best, I think he will be an important player this season"

The second midfielder brought in, 22 year old Nick Powell, had also been on City's radar for some time, having been one of the players on Hawkins' infamous shortlist

His performance at Hull last season was poor, with the former Crewe man making just 5 appearances but Hawkins is convinced that he can help Cardiff to greatness
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"He's a flair player, you never know what he's going to do, his touch is brilliant and he can finish, he's a top player"

Cardiff are said to be interested in a loan move involving Bayer Leverkusen winger Julian Brandt
 
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LE FONDRE AND JONES LEAVE CLUB

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Cardiff City have today announced the departures of strikers Adam le Fondre and Kenwyne Jones


The duo, who never lived up to the hype in the Welsh capital, left on cut price deals with their conttracts expiring in the summer

Le Fondre, 29, has joined Wolves, the club he was on loan at last season, for £1m

It is believed that the Englishman is relieved to leave Cardiff after suffering a torrid time in the Welsh capital, scoring just 3 goals in 28 games for the Bluebirds

Kenwyne Jones, signed by Ole Gunnar Solskjaer in 2014, has left for just £250,000 signing for rivals Bristol City

The Trinidad and Tobago international scored just 12 goals in 36 games for the Bluebirds, with many of those in the Championship

It is believed he was on £34,000 per week at Cardiff

Another player to leave was midfielder Tom Adeyemi, who joined Nottingham Forest for £500,000

The 24-year-old, signed by Solakjaer for £1m in 2014, never impressed at Cardiff which lead to a loan move to Leeds last season

Kadeem Harris, Stuart O'Keefe and Joe Lewis have also left the club, Harris signing for Rotherham for £100,000 and the others being released
 
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CARDIFF SIGN WILSON

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Cardiff City have today announced the signing of Manchester United striker James Wilson on loan until the end of the season

The England Under 21 international, 20, featured 23 times for Brighton last season, scoring 6 goals in 18 league starts

The youngster is hoping to improve on that this season in the hope that a good season at Cardiff will grant him first team opportunities at Manchester United or a move elsewhere

CARDIFF CITY
Predicted Finish: 3rd
Title Odds: 6/1
Salary Per Annum: £14m (10th highest in Championship)
 
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REED JOINS BLUEBIRDS

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Cardiff City have today announced the signing of 19 year old English midfielder, Louis Reed, on a 3 year contract

The England Under 19 international has signed for the Bluebirds from Sheffield United for £1.5m, amidst rumours he was about to sign for Aston Villa for £2m

The youngster, who made 54 appearances over 4 seasons for his hometown club, is said to be delighted by the move

Cardiff also announced that right back Lee Peltier has joined Wigan Athletic for £150,000


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GUNNARSSON JOINS SCHALKE

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Icelandic international Aron Gunnarsson has joined German Bundesliga side Schalke 04 in a deal worth £4.8m

The former Cardiff City vice captain, 26, has joined Schalke, who finished 4th last season, on a 4 year deal believed to be worth £15,000 per week

The midfielder, who made 197 appearances for the Bluebirds over 6 seasons following a free transfer from Coventry, is believed to be leaving the Welsh capital with a heavy heart but told supporters that Schalke were too big to turn down at this stage in his career

Gunnarsson, affectionately nicknamed the "Ice Warrior" by Cardiff City fans, has been replaced as vice captain by defender Ben Gibson
 
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TURNER OUT, McNAIR IN

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Cardiff City have today announced the departure of centre back Ben Turner and the arrival of his replacement, Paddy McNair

Centre-back Turner, 28, has struggled to get into the team, making only 10 appearances in all competitions last season
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The former Coventry man has been sold to Brighton and Hove Albion for £400,000

Coming in to replace him is 21 year old Northern Ireland international Patrick McNair on loan until the end of the season
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Antrim born McNair, who made 3 league appearances for parent club Manchester United last season is held in high regard by Jose Mourinho and the Old Trafford staff

He hopes to make a big impression in the Welsh capital

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3 SIGN ON DEADLINE DAY

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Cardiff City have embraced the Deadline Day spirit by making no less than 3 signings on the final day of a whirlwind transfer window which has seen the 2 Manchester clubs spend over £170m between them

Cardiff City have today spent a fraction of that, spending £570,000 on a trio of Welshmen, so who are they?

OWAIN FON WILLIAMS
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GOALKEEPER - 29 YEARS OLD - WELSH - BOUGHT FROM INVERNESS FOR £130K
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29 year old Welshman Owain fon Williams has been brought in as back up to Scottish international David Marshall following the departure of Joe Lewis and the ending of Danny Ward's loan deal

Williams has been seen as a bargain due to his low price and wage, the North Walian has signed a 2 year contract worth £4,300 per week

ADAM MATTHEWS
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RIGHT BACK - 24 YEARS OLD - WELSH - BOUGHT FROM SUNDERLAND FOR £140K

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Welsh international Adam Matthews has returned to Cardiff City, the club where he made his professional début, following years away from the Welsh capital at Celtic and then Sunderland

The 24 year old, who cost Sunderland £2m (which worked out at £500k per league appearance), has returned to Cardiff as backup to captain Chris Gunter, Matthews, like Williams, has signed a 2 year deal

DAVID EDWARDS
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ATTACKING MIDFIELDER - 30 YEARS OLD - WELSH - BOUGHT FROM DERBY FOR £300K

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Another bargain for Cardiff, many have been shocked by the size of the fee Derby County allowed Edwards to leave for, many claiming that it is bad business from County to let Edwards go for such a small fee

It is believed Edwards has signed a 2 year deal with Cardiff and has been signed to put pressure on Nick Powell
 
Hi! I've just read your story from the first post to last and absolutely love it. Unlucky with the play-offs.

Those regions are amazing!! How are you planning on developing them? Loans? Or are you going to make them a part of your first team plans? They could make you a PL force in six or seven years.

Gunter's 11 assists struck me; wing-backs are a crucial part of FM I feel. Do you think too many goals come from wide areas? Or did you specifically attack down Gunter's side?

Cannot wait for the new season updates!
 
Hi! I've just read your story from the first post to last and absolutely love it. Unlucky with the play-offs.

Those regions are amazing!! How are you planning on developing them? Loans? Or are you going to make them a part of your first team plans? They could make you a PL force in six or seven years.

Gunter's 11 assists struck me; wing-backs are a crucial part of FM I feel. Do you think too many goals come from wide areas? Or did you specifically attack down Gunter's side?

Cannot wait for the new season updates!
Cheers mate

Many of the regens don't join until later in the save so I will see how well they've developed and, judging on their quality, will loan them or keep them at the club

At home I often play with a narrow formation so I encourage the full-backs to push up which is why Gunter had 11 assists, the team score quite a few different kinds of goals but Gunter's (And Malone's) crosses are vitally important, we really missed Gunter when he was injured last season
 
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