Wednesday, 17 April 2013

Cardiff in the big time

By David Lee Wheatley

Long time coming


Welsh dragons Cardiff City finally made it back to the top-flight last night with a draw at home to Charlton Athletic ensuring they will compete in the Premier League next season after an absence from the top division of 51 years.

It has been a long wait for the Bluebirds fans and they celebrated with glee at the final whistle, many rushing on to the pitch to celebrate.

Manager Malky Mackay has brought a steely determination to a club that have fallen out of promotion contention on several occasions in recent years as the season has wound down in its final stretch.

This time, there was no mistake, as with 3 games remaining they sealed promotion and can now look ahead to their weekend visit to Turf Moor knowing a win over Burnley would give them the league title.

Hometown hero Craig Bellamy returned to the club he followed from boyhood to help lift them into the upper echelons of English football. It’s an achievement that he described as being the best in his career should his club manage to do it when asked last week and it has finally come true; the realisation of the dream reduced Bellamy to tears afterwards.

Not only have Cardiff fans got to look forward to playing against the big guns of the Premier League next season, they can also look forward to the south Wales derby matches against arch-rivals Swansea City. Both clubs have had severe ups-and-downs over the years, but they’ll now face-off in the top-flight after years of heartache and struggle at both clubs.

Their new Cardiff City Stadium and appointment of Mackay into the role of manager have catapulted Cardiff into contention for automatic promotion from the Championship and will provide a firm base from which to work in the quest for survival in the biggest league in the world next season.

The 2013/14 campaign is going to be a mighty exciting one for the fans, players and staff alike.
 
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